CHICAGO, Sept. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Chicago police officers were fired upon by an assailant who used an SKS semi-automatic assault rifle last Saturday, September 13th. Chicago police officers returned fire and killed the assailant, 23-year-old Shurron Grant.
Although no police officers were injured in the tragic shooting, the incident illustrates the threat of immense firepower that faces Illinois police officers with the availability of assault rifles on the streets. According to FBI statistics, one in five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2001, were killed with assault weapons. The shooting on September 13th marked the one-year countdown before the Federal Assault Weapons Ban expires unless Congress takes action.
"Exactly one year from the date that the Federal Assault Weapons Ban will sunset, Chicago police officers came under fire from an assault rifle. It's time for President Bush and every member of Congress to act and get assault rifles off our streets," said Thom Mannard, Executive Director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
Just one month earlier, on August 13th, 2003, two teenage boys were involved in a gang battle armed with an AK-47 when police arrested them. Incidents like these demonstrate the easy availability of assault weapons in Illinois and across the country.
"Despite the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, many assault rifles are still easily available because the gun industry has willfully circumvented the ban and created a new class of 'post-ban' assault rifles," continued Mannard. "By making minor cosmetic changes to banned assault rifles, the gun industry continues to sell military-style semi-automatic weapons. This is why the Assault Weapons Ban needs to be strengthened and not repealed."