"It was probably good I didn’t [renew], because there are an awful lot of other citizens" who had the same problem, Mell (33rd) said after the Police and Fire Committee approved an amendment to the gun registration ordinance. The change would allow those whose registration lapsed to renew at a slightly higher fee.

Ald. Richard Mell got a City Council committee to approve a change to a Chicago law on his behalf Wednesday, but argued it would benefit thousands of other city residents who, like him, simply failed to renew their gun licenses.

Re-registration of the guns would have to occur within 4 months of passage of the ordinance by the full City Council, which could come as soon as next Wednesday.

Mell, a hunter and gun collector, sought the change after he forgot to renew his registrations and was told he could not do so because the deadline had passed.

The alderman said Wednesday Tuesday he was "inundated" with calls from "law-abiding citizens" in the same predicament. Former Illinois Atty. General Roland Burris called him to say he was storing a gun in Decatur because he forgot to renew his registration, Mell said. The engraved shotgun was given to Burris by Illinois State Police when Burris left office, the alderman added.

Committee Chairman Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th), meanwhile, said he expected another amendment to be drafted that would allow retired police officers to register newly purchased handguns. Federal law allow allows retired officers to carry concealed weapons, but city ordinance allows them to only re-register their old service revolvers, not new weapons.

Ordinary residents are not allowed to own handguns in Chicago. Aldermen said a case before the U.S. Supreme Court they that could be decided in July could overturn local gun control laws across the nation.

Also considered by the committee was a proposal by Ald. Ed Burke (14th) to require anyone convicted of a felony gun offense to be listed for 4 years on a city registry that would be maintained by the Police Department, as is done in New York. Unlike New York, Chicago’s registry would be open to anyone’s review on the Web.

The committee delayed action on Burke’s proposal after ordering Police Department officials to come back with precise estimates of how much more manpower it would take to maintain and enforce the registry.

hdardick@tribune.com