Nanny state madness! (or: How little Lisa will save us all)

While I know that this is supposed to be a firearms/RTC/2A blog, please allow me to take a tangent for this post...

It seems that Lisa Madigan, the IL Attorney General, needs a freakin' hobby. She has so much free time on her hands that her offices can worry about "gel fuels" and the

FOUR (4) people in IL

that have been injured by some form of these fuels. (to be fair, there have been thirty seven (37) injuries NATION-WIDE, so this is clearly akin to a plague...)

Madigan is calling for a ban on all brands and forms of the gel fuels at the Federal level and discourage anyone from continuing use of existing quantities of them as well. I'm soooo glad that she's here to protect us from our own (probable) misuse of a product. I'm willing to bet that every one of those people that have been injured by the stuff were doing something they shouldn't have, or at least didn't follow proper procedure with it.

News flash: Things that are currently on fire (or have been recently) will burn you. I'm certain my Mom explained this to me at a very early age...even if she hadn't, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out early in life. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: You can't legislate (or prevent) stupid. People need to take some responsibility for their own actions...

LegalNewsline.com

NBC Chicago

We have REAL concerns in IL - and Nationally, in case you haven't heard - and it amazes me that this even shows up on the A.G.'s radar. Seriously. How many cars are required to be proven defective before a manufacturer's recall is implemented? I promise it's more than 4 (or 37).

Perhaps we could actually prosecute some criminals or at least quit giving them early releases?

Or maybe she could educate herself with real facts about the benefits of concealed carry, seems like a good way to invest her time to me. Then she might see that it works, instead of using emotional arguments to work against it. See...I did manage to squeak in something about RTC!

/rant

Illinois Responds

The State of IL AG's office has responded to the Motion for Preliminary Injunction of UUW (Shepard v Madigan) and although I'm nowhere near a lawyer, it looks to be full of holes to me.

Apparently they feel that (among many other things) a currently law abiding citizen can turn into a bloodthirsty killer at any instant. They also claim they aren't infringing rights and therefore don't need to justify the UUW law.

Look folks, there is ZERO legal method of carry in Illinois. Period. My opinion is that if the legislature can't pass a concealed weapons permit system, then the state must allow open carry as a default. We simply must have a way to defend ourselves, the state certainly can't do it for each of us.

As I said, I'm no lawyer and I can't decipher a lot of the lawyer-speak in the response. If you'd like to read the filings you can find them at post # 191 on this thread at Illinois Carry and join the conversation about them there.

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.

Legislators respond, Suits filed and more!

The past week has been especially busy: dealing with the disappointment of HB148 not receiving 71 votes, final exams and everything else.

The week did see a few people get responses from their legislators concerning their "no" vote on HB148. It seems that fear of their constituents having guns continues to plague these folks, perhaps they should practice being more responsible citizens themselves?

One member over at illinoiscarry.com gives his take on what most of these responses boil down to:

Dear so and so, thank you for voicing your concerns with me. Illinoisans, such as yourself, are too stupid to take their responsibilities into their own hands, therefore I will do it for you. I am the ruling class, you are the pee-on class. Please contact me with any further concerns you have so that I can put you back into your place again!

After reading some of the responses the "no" voters sent out, I have to agree that this is exactly what they seem to be saying. I hope to see them voted out in the next election cycle. Especially the ones that had said they would be "yes" votes and then folded on us. (Are you listening Ms. Davis?)

Anyway.... Yesterday we learned that both the NRA and the SAF have filed suit against the state of IL and the total ban on carrying a firearm for defense. All I can say is: OUTSTANDING!

Rep. Phelps warned the legislators that if they didn't pass HB148 they could count on seeing the matter in court at great cost to the state, glad to see that not much time was wasted in making that happen.

I'm not familiar with the plaintiffs named in the SAF suit, but I am familiar with the story of Mary Shepard, the NRA/ISRA plaintiff. Mary and her coworker were attacked in a church, brutally beaten and left for dead. (You can see a video of Mary telling her story in a previous post)

Hats off to Mary and the other plaintiffs, it takes a lot of courage to go forward with something like this and I'm sure it will be painful for Mary to relive her ordeal for the courts to see.

Best of luck to all the plaintiffs, their suits will impact all Illinois residents.

In the meantime, maybe the House can see the writing on the wall and see fit to pass HB148 if Rep. Phelps would like to bring it up again? Sure would save a lot of court costs!

Find more info at the respective links below:
SAF Complaint

NRA/ILA press release

One more PUSH!

Alright folks, the ever popular HB 0148 (Family and Personal Protection Act - AKA Concealed carry)
has a vote deadline of May 6, 2011. The House is recessed until May 3, leaving a total of four (4) days for this to be voted on in the House.

Todd Vandermyde and others have been working tirelessly to rewrite this bill to satisfy some minor concerns with the IL Chiefs of Police and the Universities and he feels that it's ready.

Because the Bill will override Chicago's existing gun laws, it will require a super-majority to pass; this means 71 votes in the House. There are about 40 co-sponsors on board so it definitely has some potential, but we can't lay down and relax just yet.

The Bill has the support and endorsement of four (4) major law enforcement groups and a mass Transit Union in Chicago. I am yet to speak to any officer on the street that does not support this bill....and I have done everything I know to do to get fence-sitters on board, with pretty good results.

We need YOU to pick up the phone tomorrow and call the offices of those Representatives that aren't sponsoring and tell them that you want this Bill to PASS! Let them know that you are tired of being the ONLY state in the Union that doesn't allow its citizens to protect themselves away from their homes.

Here, you can read the Bill, as amended and see the list of sponsors: Link to HB 0148 at ILGA.gov
If a person is not listed as a sponsor, call them, fax them, email them! This applies to every one of them, as this affects every one of us.

Here you will find the names of all House Reps., click on their name to get their contact info (call both Springfield and their home offices): http://www.ilga.gov/house/

Eat at your desk this week and call during your lunch hour. Email before you leave the house, fax as you can. Just DO SOMETHING!

One day, when your children grow and can legally protect themselves, you can proudly say "I helped make that happen".

Open Letter to IL House of Representatives

Hi folks, I may get called out for being lazy today, but I wanted to share this letter with you (with the author's permission, of course). 
It was written by BudMan5 from the IllinoisCarry.com forums  and is one of the most well thought out letters I have read so far.

After reading, feel free to swing by the forums, join up and help with the cause! 

Dear Illinois Representatives.

I am a retired Illinois Police Chief and a retired US Army First Sergeant as well as being a lifelong Illinois resident.

I am writing to all of you, en masse, because in my mind, all of you are representing me regardless of from which District you were elected.

From my personal experience, I want to stress to you that laws forbidding the right to carry a concealed weapon only affect law abiding citizens. The only thing those laws accomplish is to ensure that criminals have available victims.

It is easy to confirm that laws banning concealed carry by merely examining the Cities where laws have banned possession. Our own Chicago leads the list in violent crimes even though a total ban on possession of firearms in Chicago was in effect for more than forty years.

The anti-gun folks are always referring to the “NRA and the gun lobby”, but they never come out and admit that the ‘gun lobby’ is actually composed of every day citizens, just like you and me.

The continuous claims that “blood will run in the streets” has not happened in any of the other forty-eight States that have already enacted concealed carry laws. Why does the Illinois General Assembly consider Illinois citizens different from the rest of the country?

President John F. Kennedy, in Profiles in Courage, profiles senators who crossed party lines and/or defied the public opinion of their constituents to do what they felt was right. Our Constitution describes the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right and that right has recently been confirmed by the United States Supreme Court. President Kennedy was also a Life member of the National Rifle Association.

I ask you each to examine your conscience concerning this issue. I am asking each of you to decide, not as your party dictates, but on what is right or wrong and what the people of Illinois really want.

I already can legally carry a concealed firearm because of the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. My Illinois concealed carry permit, authorized by the Illinois General Assembly, states on its’ face, “For those who have served and earned the privilege”.

In my mind, I earned the right bear arms as a result of my American citizenship as did my wife and son and all of the other American citizens living in Illinois. The citizens of Illinois deserve the same right granted to Americans all across the country. The right of self-defense.

There are times in all our lives when we are offered the choice of making a decision based on what is right or wrong, good or bad. This is a time to choose the very hard right and good decision and not the easy bad or wrong decision.

BudMan5