Evanston aldermen delayed their vote on a controversial assault weapons ban tonight, rescheduling it for next week.
The proposed ordinance sparked emotional debate on both sides of the issue, drawing more than two dozen people to voice their opinions before City Council.
Aldermen briefly discussed the legislation before choosing to push back the vote until their July 15 meeting.
Ald. Don Wilson (4th) expressed concern that the ordinance would only address cosmetic features of firearms to define assault weapons and neglect to ban high-capacity guns.
“I think we should hold this until we get an ordinance that does what people are looking for,” he said.
Council has moved quickly to bring up the ban up for consideration, tasking Evanston’s law department with drafting the legislation less than a month ago. A federal appeals court has given the Illinois General Assembly until Tuesday to approve a new concealed-carry law. One form of that legislation would prohibit local municipalities like Evanston from passing their own gun regulations.
— Ciara McCarthy
