Concealed Carry In Illinois? Lawmakers Say It Could Happen

[Pullo]

.....

This week, a House panel filled with "downstate gun-rights backers" is expected to approve legislation that would allow Illinois citizens to carry guns in public if they receive special training, according to the Pantagraph. The push comes as thousands of pro-gun activists head to Springfield for an Illinois State Rifle Association rally.

“I’ve never had the groundswell or the grassroots effort that this bill is getting and attention that it’s getting right now,” Democratic Rep. Brandon Phelps told the Quad-City Times. Phelps is among several downstate Democrats who support a law that would allow some Illinois residents to carry a weapon with proper training. He is also one of many concealed carry supporters who is confident about passing a measure soon--despite the state's track record on gun control. .....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/08/concealed-carry-in-illino_n_832484.html">Link


Sounds like some progress on the CCW front in Illinois is eminent. I doubt this push will ultimatly result in such a law being adopted, but it certainly seems to show the ball is rolling. Of course, there are Chicago-area politicians screaming "but, but, but, there will be blood in the streets!!!"


There hysterical concerns wouldn't be unfounded if:

1. A vast amount of evidence from around the country demonstrates that CCW laws are not a threat to public safety, including in urban communities.

2. In case those concerned politicians haven't noticed, the blood is already flowing in the streets of Chicago from gang-bangers, drug dealers, etc. Giving lawful citizens the opportunity to defend themselves in such an environment is the right thing to do.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Daley must be well past purple on this...

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

2. Preemption should pass first - it will be easier to pass preemption without CCW laws on the books.

Likewise, once preemption in on the books, CCW should be easier for the people to back.
Give Daley/Chicago the ol' one-two. Nothin they can do about it.
Shove the legislation down their throats.

[Pullo]

3. Excellent point

[WatsonT]

4. Yet another state poised on the verge of collapsing into . . .

being statistically safer than before.

[jaxx]

5. Thanks for the heads up.

I just called my rep....again....and said NO to concealed carry in IL.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. It's going to take suburban and rural illinois to stop this.

If only chicago and another city or two disagree then it will not matter.
Make no mistake, Daley/Rahm & big-city anti-rights goons won't be able to stop this.

Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus all vehemently opposed Ohio preemption and CCW. The 3 largest cities in ohio. To the point even where they still arrested people for AWB and CCW violations after they became legal. And in the end, they were whipped into submission by the People.

[jaxx]

8. I'm downstate, west central IL.

A lot of people around here don't want concealed carry. I'll spread the word again and keep it in their minds, along with calling their reps. I wish I knew people in southern IL.

[DonP]

10. "But everybody I know voted for McGovern" - Paulene Kael, NYT

I'll be down there Thursday at I-GOLD with close to 10,000 of my "friends", maybe more this year. How many friends do you have?

Yeah, two or three phone calls or e-mails from you and your firends versus 10,000 people in gold shirts and hats in the streets and standing outside your office. You'll totally overwhelm us.

This year we're bringing some media people with us so we may actually get some media coverage. Last year we had over 9,000 people and no news reports. Two weeks later Jesse Jackson and Flaky Pfleger showed up with one bus load of 34 county employees to demand more gun control and were on every Chicago station. That may be different this year.

Don't suffer from "Paulene Kael" syndrome Jaxx and make the mistake of thinking that your very narrow band of acquaintences are the typical citizens. But feel free to continue to feel elitist and think that you are just plain smarter and better than the people you disagree with.

This is being sponsored by Dems in a Dem controlled state so it's gonna be hard to hang the GOP label on this one. But I'm confident some ignoramus will try.

[jaxx]

14. If that was meant to intimidate, it didn't work.

I must bother you or you wouldn't have called me an elitist and said the rest of the personal insult bit.

No, I wouldn't want to be around someone with an attitude who had a gun hidden on their person.

[DonP]

15. Not intimidate - ridicule a pompous attitude

[jaxx]

16. "?"

[cleanhippie]

13. Why are you so strongly against it?

[cleanhippie]

12. Oh, so you are more comfortable with open carry then?

[lawodevolution]

20. Yep, that didnt work out for you

[jeepnstein]

6. I have a workable compromise!

They should pass CCW in all parts of the state except Cook County. It wouldn't be long before the informed voters of Cook County figured out they'd been screwed.

That's not fair to the law-abiding citizens of Cook County, but they could always vote to fix that problem.

[madrchsod]

9. chicago has lowered their crime rate to early 60`s levels....

i`d be more concerned about what the police agencies think about concealed weapons than the gun owners

[DonP]

11. Why? Police have historically been wrong on Concealed Carry

In almost every state, from Texas and Florida to Iowa the police (the leadership, not the street cops) protest CCW and make the usual prediction of blood in the streets.

Then it passes anyway and a year or two later the more honest ones admit that there was no big change in crime of gun incidents. In fact a few admit that they were wrong and crime is actually down.

Since the police have no legal duty to protect citizens, why should their POV be more important than the average citizens on having the means of self defense?

[speltwon]

19. Correct, it's generally the police LEADERSHIP not the "real cops"

that oppose CCW. Why should anyone give a flying fook what a political appointee cop-o-crat thinks? I'll take the line cops any day.

[PavePusher]

17. Sorry, the police, in their professional capacity...

don't get consulted on what my Civil Rights should be.

[jeepnstein]

18. It's all politics.

In most very large departments the administrative types see it as a threat to their money stream or something. Large departments tend to oppose it while small and medium sized ones could really care less. I know my own department strongly advises people to get their CCW if they can, even if they don't plan on routinely carrying a firearm.