QUINCY, ILL. -- The debate continues across the nation on gun control and whether to ban assault weapons following the massacre in Newton, Connecticut.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has even renewed a call for a ban on assault weapons.
But in Western Illinois on any given weekend, you might hear the sounds of guns being fired or you might see people patronizing a local gun show.
After the shooting in Connecticut last week, there seems to be more discussion and debate about what to do with possible laws on gun control. For Illinois State Senator John Sullivan, who's been a staunch advocate for gun rights, he says it's time to look at the issue a little closer.
"Personally this has given me pause, this series of events has given me pause and I'm certainly going to take a step back and have a conversation with everybody that's involved with this issue listen and then try to make a decision as to what I think is the best way to go," Sullivan said.
Illinois State Representative Jil Tracy has also been a backer of gun owners and gun rights. She said she understands the issue, but she also says the root cause of the violence also has to be examined.
"You can look at a gun, a gun can be no more dangerous then a kitchen knife. It depends on who uses it and how. And there's a root, a root of this cultural violence that we have seen develop in this country. It is what is killing innocent victims, innocent children and that to me seems to be the more proper dialogue," Tracy said.
Both Tracy and Sullivan know their colleagues in the General Assembly will have plenty to say on any proposal that comes before them in the upcoming session and they hope that reasonable decisions will be made instead of decisions that are made on the spur of the moment.
The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to meet from January 3rd to the 8th for the lame duck session. The 98th session will begin on January 9th.
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