Has the worm turned?

It appears that some Chicago residents have had enough.

A recent Town Hall meeting that the Rev. Sharpton meant to be about gun violence took a nice little turn and several folks had plenty to say. Clearly, they weren't interested in talking about gun violence.....

Jobs were a popular topic and it also seems that they're tired of Aldercritters that aren't representing them, not to mention some general unhappiness with the 5th Floor (the Rahm-father).

Rather than blab on, check out some video for yourself:









In other news, apologies for my lack of posting lately. We had a retirement at work that won't be replaced and lots of slack had to be picked up. My past few months have been work, sleep, work, be a dad, work, you get the picture.

In case you haven't heard.....

IL HB2193 passed the house today @ 85/30/1 with Speaker Madigan voting "aye"..... no, that isn't a typo, he really did vote for it (after speaking about it on the floor).

Although it isn't the perfect bill - far from it actually - it is a place to start. The length of training and fees will likely be challenged in courts fairly soon I'd guess (if it makes it the rest of the way through the process, of course). Judging from the average cost of most training I'm familiar with, a permit will cost a citizen around $400 + after the process is complete. I know plenty of single moms and elderly folks that NEED a permit, but won't be able to afford one....so much for equal protection....for now anyway.

Of course, Chicago and some burbs get a big kick to the nuts with this bill.... the mag bans, CFP, "assault weapons" bans will all go away if the bill makes it through everything. No longer can a municipality say what its citizens can do with regards to firearms. I'm guessing Da Mayor is fuming about now.

As I mentioned, there's more to the process and Gov. Quinn has already issued a statement that he feels the legislation isn't right for IL and will work with the Senate to kill things there. The battle isn't over yet folks.

We do owe a few phone calls of thanks to the people that have worked on this for so long, even though some weren't included in the drafting of HB2193. Todd Vandermyde of the NRA and Valinda Rowe from Illinoiscarry.com have been working non-stop for YEARS to get a solid bill passed through the House.... I'm sure they'd both like a bit more with this bill, but reality has sunk in that the Speaker really gets what he wants. Representatives Phelps, Bost, Reis, Sacia and others also have defended our Rights throughout this battle and deserve a big thanks as well.

The sad part is this: We have all seen first hand how one man can wield enough power to basically rule an entire state. I'm not sure what the Speaker is up to, but there's something here that will pay off for him or his daughter at some point in the future. His 180 turnaround was nothing short of masterful and demonstrates exactly why he's been seated as Speaker for so long now.

There are things wrong with this bill, but it also  gets some other things right. I won't tell you that it's my pick of the littter... it's not even close. But I've also had to swallow a big pill, because I really thought that the Speaker would have his hands tied on this. Apparently, he's kin to Houdini.

As always, drop by Illinoiscarry.com to stay up to date.

Got that flu going around? Catch up on reading!

Yep, that's what I'm doing anyway and I've barely got a touch of it compared to some folks I've talked to. I just have a generally "blah" feeling and am scared to eat anything...just in case.

Sitting around the house all day has given me time to do some reading though and I want to point you good folks to a blog posting that is lengthy but a very well thought out piece and could give you some arguments to use when talking with anti gunners. You can find it over at An opinion on gun control and I encourage you to set aside 15 or 20 minutes and give it a look, it really is very well done.

Many have also heard about Chicago trying to hide its 500th murder for the year by reclassifying one as a "death investigation". Where I come from, we call that lying. It's little surprise really, they don't even comply with the FBI methodology for reporting rapes. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-6  (scroll all the way to the bottom and look for footnote #2)

It's been a tough year to be a gun owner but some good has come about as well. Don't forget to visit IllinoisCarry to stay up to date on the status of concealed carry in IL. That link is just the main page BTW, be sure to visit the forums as well.

Here's hoping for a bright new year for all of us in 2013.

Chicago Murder rate increases 60% in 3 months

How much longer will they continue to deny basic rights in Illinois? Since we KNOW that disarming the law abiding outside the home isn't working, let's try the other option and see what happens.

Yes, some folks will still die, but it will be the thugs who were previously doing all the killing. When a handful go down, it tends to take some of the fire out of the rest of them.

Try this link on for size and check out the last 2 lines in particular. Great to see a news outlet saying this!

http://www.irnnews.com/2012/04/12/chicago’s-murder-rate-has-risen-60-in-just-the-last-three-months/

Mayor Emanuel wants folks to stand up to gangs? That's great news! When will he understand that the citizens need tools to do so? He's made the statement, now let's see if he can follow through!

Is it too much to hope that change is in the air?

A sad state of affairs

Let me step away from IL RTC issues briefly....well sort of, as this stuff may eventually affect everyone in the country if it continues to spiral out of control.

I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the shooting in Sanford, FL by now. I will not give an opinion as I wasn't there and didn't see what happened, I will not defend anyone or point a finger. Sadly, there are a LOT of news outlets that weren't there either, but it hasn't stopped them from spewing "facts", some of which are turning out not to be "facts" after all. Some of the news outlets are being investigated for putting firth outright lies and doctoring 911 tapes.

We've had celebrities tweeting addresses for the shooter, which turned out to be wrong and harmed innocent people's lives. We've had an 78 year old man in Toledo that was beaten and robbed and it may or may not have been retaliation for Martin ...we don't even have all the facts there as you can see in the following links.
http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2012/04/03/Man-78-recounts-assault-by-6-youths-in-E-Toledo.html

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2012/04/07/Toledo-police-Man-s-account-of-assault-may-be-exaggerated.html

We have politicians screaming to make new laws or repeal others based on knee jerk responses. We have anti-gun groups dancing in Martin's blood and using it to try to strip the rights of  law abiding people in this nation. (Sorry, I refuse to link to their stuff)

Right now, we have to wait until the investigations are over and all of the actual facts are in before we consume ourselves. 

Here's what we don't have and I want to know why:

We don't have public outrage about the daily homicides that occur in Chicago (and other cities, but Chicago is the one I hear about the most). Why is the Rev. Jackson -among others- not looking into these? I don't wish to take away from the Martin case, any premature loss of life is regrettable. But seriously, what Chicago is doing isn't working and things need to change. The following link refers to just one weekend in Chi-town, it can be an ugly place.
http://www.suntimes.com/11400560-417/mayor-city-to-do-more-to-fight-violence-after-bloody-weekend.html

First quarter figures put homicides in Chicago at 118. So why aren't they looking for real change in the way things are done? Of course, some of these may be criminal-on-criminal homicide rather than innocents being murdered, but it's clear that there's a problem.
 http://homicides.redeyechicago.com/

And it's really bad when the officials BRAG that the city went murder-free for a whole day!
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Chicago-Murder-Free-24-Hours-137672038.html

So, where's the outrage?

Pike County is now Constitutional Carry (?)

If you keep up with IL gun Rights at all, then you've likely heard of an effort in Pike County to get a public vote on concealed carry. It was on the ballot yesterday and passed at ~ 85%, which means.... well, I'm not sure what it means. Read more here.

Please note, the following couple of bits are reliant on a weapons carrier that is not otherwise barred from owning a firearm and is of age, etc.
The Sheriff says he won't be arresting anyone for carrying a weapon and the State's Attorney says he won't be willing to prosecute anyone (provided they were arrested in the first place, possibly they expect the ISP won't be so friendly).

I'm no lawyer, but I'm betting that the IL AG's office is going to have something to say. I'm also betting that it won't be favorable. As far as I'm concerned that office can pound sand, but sadly they are the law.

So that leads to the question of whether Pike can do this or not, it isn't uncommon for Home Rule communities to make state laws tougher (see Chicago's gun laws) but to make the laws lighter is certainly not common and I'm not sure if it's legal.

For the record, I hope it is legal as it's a sharp stick in the eye of the Chicago Machine, I also hope that it finally brings RTC issues in IL into the mainstream. There are so many people out there that still aren't aware that EVERY state but IL has some form of carry for self defense. (That's why I bother with these ramblings, to spread the word)

Some are worried that this will work against efforts for a statewide/pre-emptive RTC law, others are saying that this is the kick in the pants that the legislature needs (particularly those reps in the NE part of the state). I have to admit that I'm still undecided, it is certainly a small victory and sends a message that people do want the legal ability to protect themselves.

Either way, it's bound to be an exciting topic for some time to come. You can check out more opinions and thoughts over at IllinoisCarry.

Just in case you haven't heard.

Chicago has managed to cough up a payment for legal fees resulting from McDonald v Chicago, fees that would have easily been avoided if the city would simply respect the Constitutional Rights of its citizens. 

(If you can't read the check, it's made out to the Second Amendment Foundation in the amount of $399,950.00)

I wonder how the tax payers of Chicago feel about footing the bill for messing with a RIGHT? 

My other burning question is: Where's the check from Oak Park? They were on the losing end of this as well. 

Some Oak Park-ers have made a point out of trying to rid their village of guns and restricting legal gun shops, seems maybe they would think twice when they see the cost of trampling on the Constitution.  Maybe Oak Park has the revenue to allow stupidity like this to continue...if they do, the village must be the only one in IL that has those sorts of funds.

Helping Illegals stay?

Looks like some overly kind hearted folks near Chicago have created a telephone hotline for illegal immigrants.... No, not the kind where you report them.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/130106053.html

This hotline is for them (the illegals) to call, in the event that they are facing deportation. Apparently they can get legal advice on how to stay. We already knew Chicago was a sanctuary city but this is simply ridiculous.

I'm not against basic human rights for everyone, but helping those that are here ILLEGALLY find a way to beat the system goes well beyond that in my opinion.

What next? A hotline to help with get-away directions for bank robbers?

It's been a busy couple of weeks!

Since I last posted, WI Gov. Scott Walker has signed the bill for WI concealed carry and a little court case about gun ranges has made some serious waves in IL.

So, first, Congratulations to the good folks of WI! They now join 48 other states in the right to conceal a handgun for their own defense.

For those of us in IL, it puts the focus on us alone....I'm confident that we'll get RTC but it will still take a bit more time. It's pretty tough to argue that IL is the only state that has it right, especially when the streets of Chicago are being ruled by groups of thugs.

That brings us to the court case I mentioned previously. One woman in Chicago wanted to get her Chicago Firearms Permit, but the requirements were so restrictive that she couldn't get it. There is a live fire/range requirement but there are no civilian shooting ranges in Chicago. This put an undue burden on many folks as they would be required to the suburbs to complete this requirement. Sound OK until we factor in that many folks in the city don't own a car and must use public transportation to get to the ranges....but can't transport a firearm on that same public transportation.

So, Ezell v Chicago came about, it asks for an injunction against the ban on ranges in the city. The original court denied the injunction and the decision was then successfully appealed, with the decision handed down last week.

Many had thought that this case would be won but weren't ready for some of the language in the decision. The court basically told Chicago that the city was thumbing its nose at the SCOTUS and that the 2A does indeed apply to the city. The court also states that it's obvious that the ordinance was intended to make firearm ownership as difficult as possible.

The court also paralleled the 2A with the 1A, stating that the city could not limit free speech inside the city limits simply because free speech is available in the suburbs.

It's a brilliant decision really and very well worded. You can find it here: http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/9C0NWF4M.pdf

After the decision was handed down, two other plaintiffs in other cases have filed for a Preliminary Injunction against the total ban on weapons carry in IL. These are: NRA/ISRA/Shepard v IL Attorney General and SAF/Michael Moore/Charles Hook v IL attorney General. 


Be sure to head on over to Illinois Carry for plenty of discussion on all of these cases and info on any and all things RTC in IL.

Also, don't forget to stay on top of the Project Gunwalker saga....it goes deeper and deeper every day. The BATF may have outdone themselves on this travesty.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=44198

IL is now unofficially THE exception to the rule

Yep, it's been a long time since I've posted. Apologies on that, things have been crazy to say the least.

Anyway, if you haven't heard, the WI Senate passed their RTC bill today by a vote of 25 - 8. It's projected to walk through the House and then get a quick signature by the Governor. This leaves the citizens of IL as the ONLY Americans that are completely denied the use of a handgun to protect themselves outside the home.

Sad, but true.

Chicago has been in the news a lot lately with the "flash mob" attacks, people are getting beaten down for the contents of their wallets and their cell phones. Only in Chicago could such a thing happen with such frequency. Still the pols up there cry that RTC will only make things worse... I don't understand how they even believe their own BS. Actually, I don't think they do. The pols have protection and as long as they are safe, they don't care about the citizens walking up and down the streets.

Let's fix this problem and soon. Give the law abiding citizen the opportunity to defend themselves.

Until then, shame on IL.

Daley: Some things never change.

Looks like soon-to-be "former" Mayor Daley has really lost it this time, comparing the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to his vision of law abiding residents carrying concealed weapons.

Apparently Daley isn't keen to the fact that 49 other states do allow their citizens the right to protect themselves. More likely, he just chooses to ignore this and spew his vile opinion in hopes that his subjects don't know the facts.

Well, Mayor Daley, your opinion is just that, yours...and it stinks. I'm sure you'll remember a little Supreme Court decision from last year (McDonald v Chicago) that verifies what most Americans already knew: The Second Amendment is an individual right.

Of course, he may not be of the same opinion if he didn't have a squad of armed guards with him when he walks out his front door each morning.

Anyway, here's one article about the situation, be sure to check out the comments at the bottom of the page.
wbez story

Even more nonsense: WLS Chicago In this one, the Mayor says that concealed weapons will create more problems, just ask any police officer.

Hmm, I guess that's why the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association just published a letter in SUPPORT of HB 148. Clearly, no one from the Mayor's office sent them the memo to quietly fall in line.

(If you're keeping score, that makes 4 major law enforcement groups that support it, see previous posts)

RTC gets even more support!

Just listened to Todd Vandermyde (NRA lobbyist for IL) on Cam & Company and he says that HB 148 (Family and Personal Protection Act, AKA Firearms - Concealed Carry) got a nice bit of support today from the Illinois Chief of Police Association.

The Chiefs Association had shown some support earlier in the month but did ask for a small change or two in the bill, sounds like the main one being "duty to inform". This means that a person with a concealed carry permit must tell an officer that they are armed during a traffic stop, etc. 

Apparently some of the Chicago area Chiefs, who don't typically attend the Chiefs meetings, arrived in efforts to sway the vote...but it didn't work. Rumor has it that the Chicago Machine is running around like their hair is on fire! 

So, for the record, HB 148 now has the support of the following police organizations: 

IL Chiefs Association

Chicago Police Sergeants Association

IL Sheriffs' Association

So far the ISP remain neutral. 

Don't think the battle is won though, stay on the phones, write emails and letters....try to get YOUR elected officials to support and co-sponsor HB 148! If they already do, THANK them! 

My thanks to the the law enforcement agencies listed above for standing up for what's right and just. 

Last gasp?

Well folks, the rumor is that anti-gunner extraordinaire Anita Alvarez (Cook county SA) has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow (Tues. March 29). This woman is a dyed-in-the-wool "true believer" in taking guns out of the hands of everyone in this country and she admits it. She is so rigid in her belief that she openly states that no one, in her opinion, should be allowed to own a firearm for any reason. At least we know where she stands on the issue, I give her credit for saying it out loud. (that's all I'll give her though)

I think we are seeing the last dying breath of the anti-gun movement in IL, they know HB148 is coming for a vote soon and the scheduling of this is no coincidence. I'm sure there will be lots of familiar faces from the "movement" there, but I'm curious to see who attends outside of the usual suspects. Silly tactics to boost the crowd have been used before for such events, even taking kids out of school and bussing them in.

A couple of things rolling around in my head:
1. Why the Cook County SA? What sway does she hold over the entire state and why has she chosen to leap to the forefront?

2. Why does her opinion matter?

My answer: It doesn't.


She took an oath to uphold the Constitution...even if her opinion differs. Both Heller and McDonald say that she should be supporting the 2d Amendment, so this is a good reason to see her booted out of office.

3. Does she really believe what she's saying about guns? See for yourself what she has to say on the subject.

We have a lot of politicians in IL and in D.C. that should remember their oath; it is the Constitution and the will of the People that they represent, not their own agenda/opinion. Right now, the will of the People is RTC and those in office need to make this happen. We're tired of being the only citizens denied the right to armed self defense and we will not forget the results of this battle at the next election.

I'd like to encourage everyone to send Mrs. Alvarez a polite email, reminding her about that oath she took when she was put into office. Hit the contact link at http://www.statesattorney.org/

What a (short) strange trip it's been.

Looks like the Chicago Mayoral election is a done deal, with Rahm Emanuel winning with approximately 55% of the vote at last check. He needed 50% +1 in order to avoid an April run off and it looks like he's managed it.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/22/breaking-cnn-projects-emanuel-wins-in-chicago/

I doubt that this really comes as a surprise to most folks, the media had crowned him some time ago and the public apparently followed right along. I read several "on the street" interviews with Chicago folks, all appeared to be in favor of Rahm, many because...... he knows President Obama.

I'm not sure how knowing the President qualifies one to be the mayor of the 3rd largest city in the nation, but apparently it carries weight with some folks. Personally, I would hope that no one noticed if I knew either of them (I don't, at any rate).

While it's too early to know how his election will affect the state of the 2nd Amendment in Chicago (and possibly the rest of IL), we can confidently say that Rahm is no friend of the 2A. I'm sure state legislators near the city will be clamoring to win his approval and willing to do anything to appease him....which will affect the rest of us.

How can we prevent this? Get on the phone or computer, (politely) call your elected folks and ask them to support and sponsor HB0148 and other Pro 2A legislation. Find out which ones may be on the fence and call them too, even if you don't live in their district....this affects the entire state and they should be reminded!

Call Senate President John Cullerton's office and ask him to support same. (217) 782-2728

All in all, today wasn't a bad one in the IL General Assembly. Six (6) Pro 2A bills passed through the House Ag & Conservation Committee with 13 "yes" and 1 "no" on each. More info and discussion can be found  HERE

Don't care about Chicago politics?

Maybe you should.

Chicago's Mayoral race could result in Rahm Emanuel being seated when Daley is gone...and we just thought Daley was bad.

Rahm makes Daley look like a beginner in the quest to remove guns from the hands of law abiding citizens. He was involved with the former "Assault Weapons Ban" and would like to see it reinstated, he's ready to join in with Bloomberg and Mayors Against Illegal Guns and NO ONE in IL should consider their guns to be untouchable if he is elected. (Bloomberg's pet project actually wants to remove all guns, not just illegal ones)

http://elections.chicagotribune.com/qa/rahm-emanuel-88-given-the-supreme-court-ruling-last-year-what-would-a-revised-municipal-gun-control-law-look-like-that-would-pass-constitutional-muster

It is *rumored that Rahm disagrees with the SCOTUS decision that struck down Chicago's ban on handguns last year and wants to find a way around it....only a Chicago politico would try to circumvent the Supreme Court.

What can you do to prevent the Mayor of one city from messing up your Rights? Call your elected Rep. or Senator and ask them to support concealed carry in IL. Many of these bills would also prevent a municipality from overriding the State law, so everyone could defend themselves, even Chicagoans.

Here are links to some of the bills.

http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=148&GAID=11&GA=97&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=54705&SessionID=84

http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=112&GAID=11&GA=97&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=54662&SessionID=84

http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=82&GAID=11&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=54717&SessionID=84&GA=97

http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=2150&GAID=11&GA=97&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=58344&SessionID=84

For more info on how you can help to advance gun rights for ALL Illinois residents please visit
www.illinoiscarry.com

*As soon as I can verify that he has publicly stated this I will post a link to verification. Until then, consider it a rumor.