Saturday, December 29, 2012

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.

Monday, December 24, 2012

How important are your kids?

Most have heard by now about the NRA's suggestion that we place armed personnel in every school in the nation. Many are outraged at this and many others are in favor, you can count me in the second group.

We're regularly reminded of school "gun free zones" so the sick individuals that commit these horrible acts don't even have to wonder if they'll meet opposition...they know they won't, with a few exceptions of course. The Harrold Independent School District in Harrold, TX is one that has armed teachers right now, still others have armed security guards like the LAB school on the U of C campus (Chicago)...guess where Mayor Emmanuel's children attend school.

It would appear that the Sidwell Friends school in DC has armed security, though I haven't been able to confirm this. Scanning their faculty and staff roster reveals 11 security folks, several are listed as Police.  Of course, since the President's daughters attend Sidwell Friends, there is definitely a Secret Service presence there and all students benefit from that.

NBC's David Gregory also sends his children to Sidwell Friends, which is very hypocritical given his treatment of the NRA's suggestion that schools have armed security.  Mr. Gregory pretty much blasted Wayne LaPierre and said that arming school security or teachers wouldn't be effective but I guess he just means my kid, since his are protected. I tend to take offense to the idea that I and my child are not elite enough to enjoy security, while others are.

In Utah, any adult that has a Concealed Weapons Permit can carry a weapon on any state run college campus. This is actually called out by legislation: Utah Code 53-5a-102 (6) (a)
23 other states leave the decisions about carrying weapons on college campuses up the individual schools. (We'll soon see how Illinois handles this)

It would seem that a large amount of those "outraged" can afford to be. They know that their children are protected at school already but they want to deny you that same piece of mind.

Just think, if the next potential murderer knows (or even suspects) that a school may have an armed response that could deprive them of their fifteen minutes of fame...they might just skip it. If they don't skip it, wouldn't it be much better if a good guy or gal could meet force with force and end things quickly?

Even though some are screaming "NO" to arming folks in schools, many others are saying "YES".
I urge you to go to your school board and politely demand that they get to work implementing a REAL security plan. Don't wait for the debate to be over, take action now for the safety of all the kids. If you get the brush off, don't give up... not even a little bit. Attend every board meeting that you can or ask someone that is like minded to do so if you can't. Write, phone and email your elected officials and demand the same of them too.

The folks committing these atrocities aren't going to be stopped by another gun law, it's up to us to stop them.


Sunday, December 16, 2012

Tragedy

Tragedies occur every day but ones like the recent grade school shooting in CT are especially vile and we should pause and remember those lost and their families rather than politicize it.

Sadly, many people jump onto the airwaves and sensationalize what has happened, often with a political agenda. I try very hard not engage in that practice and as such chose to wait a few days before posting anything at all. I'd rather be called insensitive than be blamed for using this blog as a tool to further my agenda using the deaths of innocent children.

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those lost in CT. I can't imagine the horror and pain that they must feel and I hope that they can find a way to continue on after this horrible event.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

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!