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Lawmaker Calls for Stricter Rules for Sulfuric Acid
(IRN)--It sounds like it's ripped from the headlines. A state lawmaker wants to restrict the availability of sulfuric acid and increase the penalties when it's used in an attack.

State Representative Susana Mendoza says loved ones of attack victim Esperanza Medina approached her to ask what could be done. Medina has been testifying in court in Chicago over an attack which disfigured her permanently.

Mendoza says she will introduce legislation in November's veto session that would make sulfuric acid more difficult to buy, much as the legislature has done with popular cold medicines which can be used to make meth. She says an aggravated battery in which the disfiguring acid is used should carry a stiffer prison sentence, saying she believes it really would deter would-be attackers.

Mendoza says while, say, gasoline or a hammer could also be used to destroy people's appearances, those are common consumer items; sulfuric acid is not.

Mendoza says Medina's story is an inspiring one and hopes more people learn her story.

(Illinois Radio Network)
09 30 10 by Newsroom
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