A Springfield resident with multiple sclerosis, who once had to fend off a potential attacker, says guns aren’t the solution to preventing violence.
As the U.S. Senate Thursday began debating new gun-control measures, John Morrison weighed in on a national proposal to enhance background checks and a state push to allow residents to carry concealed guns in public.
Before moving to Springfield 1 1/2 years ago from suburban Cary in McHenry County, Morrison, who was diagnosed with MS in 1992, traveled by train into Chicago for medical appointments.
Four years ago, while waiting at a bus stop near Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center, he was confronted by another man, he said. Holding a pizza slice, Morrison allowed the man to swipe his food. The thief returned minutes later with a look that scared Morrison. So, the now-60-year-old picked up his 3-foot cane and crouched into a baseball batting stance, he said.
“When he saw me take that stance, he stopped immediately (and fled),” Morrison said. “I thought … it’s too bad I didn’t have a concealed gun. Then I thought better of it.”
A gun could have made the situation worse, he said, as he could’ve accidentally shot an innocent bystander or himself.
Though he opposes concealed carry, Morrison believes he’s lost that battle.
“It’s coming (to Illinois),” he said.
Instead, Morrison hopes the U.S. Senate and the state legislature require stronger background checks, implement high gun taxes and enforce rigorous police-level training.
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted 68-31 to thwart a filibuster, setting up a potentially weekslong debate on new gun-related laws. Meanwhile, Illinois lawmakers are grappling with a June 9 deadline set by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to write the concealed-carry law after the federal court declared the state’s ban unconstitutional.
As the U.S. Senate Thursday began debating new gun-control measures, John Morrison weighed in on a national proposal to enhance background checks and a state push to allow residents to carry concealed guns in public.
Before moving to Springfield 1 1/2 years ago from suburban Cary in McHenry County, Morrison, who was diagnosed with MS in 1992, traveled by train into Chicago for medical appointments.
Four years ago, while waiting at a bus stop near Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center, he was confronted by another man, he said. Holding a pizza slice, Morrison allowed the man to swipe his food. The thief returned minutes later with a look that scared Morrison. So, the now-60-year-old picked up his 3-foot cane and crouched into a baseball batting stance, he said.
“When he saw me take that stance, he stopped immediately (and fled),” Morrison said. “I thought … it’s too bad I didn’t have a concealed gun. Then I thought better of it.”
A gun could have made the situation worse, he said, as he could’ve accidentally shot an innocent bystander or himself.
Though he opposes concealed carry, Morrison believes he’s lost that battle.
“It’s coming (to Illinois),” he said.
Instead, Morrison hopes the U.S. Senate and the state legislature require stronger background checks, implement high gun taxes and enforce rigorous police-level training.
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted 68-31 to thwart a filibuster, setting up a potentially weekslong debate on new gun-related laws. Meanwhile, Illinois lawmakers are grappling with a June 9 deadline set by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to write the concealed-carry law after the federal court declared the state’s ban unconstitutional.