CHICAGO, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
In May of 2007, Rev. Michael Pfleger, Pastor of Chicago's St. Sabina's Catholic Church, shocked the nation when he called for the "snuffing" of legislators who vote against gun control bills.
Late last week, Pfleger raised the bar on this issue by publishing a list of members of the Illinois General Assembly who oppose his extremist position on gun control. In light of his May 2007 diatribe, it must be presumed that the list identifies those legislators that Pfleger wants his followers to "snuff."
The list of legislators appeared on the back side of a flyer being faxed by "Faith Community of Saint Sabina" to various legislators' offices in the Illinois Capitol. The front side of the flyer exhorts readers to "Stop the Gun Flow." The flyer also features a message from Fr. Pfleger and announces a $5,000 "bounty" on suspected triggermen in crimes.
"Fr. Pfleger apparently didn't learn his lesson last May when he embarrassed himself and the Dioceses by calling for the 'snuffing' of gun shop owners and pro-gun legislators," said ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "Now he's at it again -- trying to spread an atmosphere of fear and divisiveness among the good people of Illinois."
"Violent crime is a matter of great concern to all Illinoisans," continued Pearson. "Yet, Pfleger uses the issue as a wedge to split the citizenry for the sole purpose of keeping himself in front of the TV cameras. Pfleger's desire to become a gun control rock star has blinded him to the fact that he is supposed to serve as a healer, not a divider."
"I'm not sure whether the 69 legislators who appear on 'Pfleger's List' should be apprehensive about their personal safety," said Pearson. "But, then again, Pfleger is a pretty irresponsible guy and he does run with a pretty rough crowd. It's time for his superiors to rein him in yet again."
According to an e-mail alert put out by the "Friends of St. Sabina," Pfleger plans a march on the Illinois Capitol on Wednesday, April 9th. The purpose of the march is supposedly to put pressure on legislators to pass legislation cracking down on hunters and sportsmen.
"It'll be interesting to see how brave Pfleger is when he has to come face to face with the lawmakers he's marked for murder," said Pearson.
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
WEB SITE: http://www.isra.org/
Illinois State Rifle Association
