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.

Finally!

Yes, I know I'm a day behind....it's finals week and I have been grading projects and exams, so perhaps the readers (all three of you) will forgive me.

For anyone just coming out from under their rock:

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Illinois' total ban on carrying a handgun is un-Constitutional and has stayed this opinion for 180 days to allow the legislature to get a law in place.

Rep. Phelps had warned his fellow Reps that if they didn't accept HB148, the courts would ram concealed carry down their throats. I hope he enjoyed a cold beverage of choice last night!

Now we don't have to accept some watered down mess of a bill at all, it's the "other side" of the table that has to accept what we want. If they want to try a bill that sucks, we say no and let the 180 days pass... then current laws are null and void.

To everyone that has worked with us so far to make this happen: THANK YOU!

Now let's get back to work making sure the Machine doesn't try to screw us out of this.

Special thanks to BShawn over at www.illinoiscarry.com for the timer above!