North Cook News

The village of Deerfield might approve a ban on the type of rapid-fire weapons used during recent mass shootings, but such a ban would be more about doing something – anything – rather than addressing the real causes of those mass shootings, according to Todd Vandermyde, executive director of the Illinois Gun Dealers Trade Association and Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois.

"This is more knee-jerk reaction within the village of Deerfield over anything that's going to have a real impact," Vandermyde said during a telephone interview with the North Cook News. "It's going to make them feel good. They'll be able to say, 'Oh, we did something.'"

A proposed ordinance that would amend the village's municipal code to include a ban on so-called "assault weapons" is on the tentative agenda for the March 19 Deerfield Village Board meeting.

Todd Vandermyde, executive director of the Illinois Gun Dealers Trade Association and Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois

The agenda item is more about emotion than really doing something about the problem, which would require more reasoned and reasonable proposals that don't fit into the schemes of some folks on the political spectrum, Vandermyde said. "They don't fit the agenda of people who hate guns," he said. "They want to blame the gun."

During a meeting Feb. 20, Deerfield trustees observed a moment of silence for the 17 people killed during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting days earlier in Parkland, Florida. Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal then recommended the village add to its existing laws that require safe storage and regulate transportation of assault weapons in the village.

"She stated now is the time to revisit a complete ban of assault weapons," the minutes of that meeting say. "She noted that the village would not be breaking new ground with this as the city of Highland Park enacted such a ban that reached the U.S. Supreme Court and was found to be constitutional."

The proposed was then placed on the tentative agenda for the board's March meeting.

Deerfield is the 12th safest city in Illinois, according to a ranking by the National Council for Home Safety and Security announced by the village last month. "Deerfield was listed as having had 0.26 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and 6.41 property crimes per 1,000 residents," the announcement said.

Deerfield also ranks the 14th best Chicago-area community for families, according to a WalletHub analysis announced by the village in January.

Deerfield, like any other Illinois municipality, certainly could ban guns within their borders and there are a number of tried and true ways they could go about it, Vandermyde said. "There are several different standards that have been tried over the years," he said. "There's the Feinstein stuff from '94, there's the revised Feinstein stuff from this year and there are new things that the state is trying."

But Deerfield, if it follows other municipalities down the gun ban path, risks losing law abiding citizens who have done nothing wrong but suddenly feel like they're criminals, Vandermyde said. "You're potentially criminalizing otherwise lawful activities," he said.

"I've seen some posts from people who moved to Deerfield away from Highland Park because of this kind of nonsense and now those individuals are saying they're going to have to move again because they're being made outlaws for having a gun collection," Vandermyde said.

Not only does such a ban potentially drive away people who are not the problem, it does not address the people who are the problem, Vandermyde said. "Why is it that someone who passes 360 background checks a year is the person they're worried about?" Vandermyde asked.

Addressing the real problems that drive mass shootings requires addressing mental health issues, enforcing already existing gun laws and identifying potential problems at the local level, Vandermyde said. "For those people with mental illness, they need to be identified (and) they need to be treated appropriately in the programs that are there for them," he said. "And then you make sure they're in the database so that they can't pass any background checks."

However, some municipalities find it easier to blame guns rather than the shooter, Vandermyde said. "I don't like the term 'gun control' because it doesn't really solve anything. What I'm looking for are the more effective policies on dealing with firearms other than restricting the law abiding citizen," he said.

"Why attack the law abiding citizen with such an oversize net to scoop everybody up?" he asked.