Hats off to these reporters!

I caught a link to a refreshing article and video of two Chicago Tribune staff reporters that decided to go hunting. First off, I'd like to say thanks for a video and article that has a positive message and doesn't trash firearms or their owners...not always what we see from that publication.

Glad to see that they went the extra mile to make this happen. They attended the DNR's Hunter Education Program and also received their FOID cards, then they sought out hands-on training. One of the reporters mentions (in the video) that "guns are very scary to me", so this is an especially big step for her and I'm glad to see her take it.

I'll be contacting them and extending an invitation to IGOLD and to learn more about the responsible use of firearms for sport and self defense. I'll be sure to update here if they accept.

Read the article and see the video:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/tribu/ct-perspec-0227-brotman-20110225,0,5969485.column

Just a quick link

I wanted to pass along a link to a new site that tracks the status of gun bills at their various stages in the IL legislature.

The site updates the status of bills, both the good ones and the bad ones, every 10 minutes. You can find a link placed on the right margin of the page as well.

Worth a look and THANKS to the author for alerting us to it.

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

Own a gun? Live in IL? Read on...

March 10, 2011 is the day, Springfield is the location, IGOLD is the event.

So what is IGOLD? Simply put, it's a planned day for IL gun owners to speak with their  Senators, Representatives and other elected officials (don't count on Gov. Quinn to make himself available) about the state of the Second Amendment within IL.

We get to ask them why IL is one of only two states without a provision for legal and responsible citizens to carry a concealed firearm.

We get to push them about the FOID card and ask why we even have it in the days of instant checks for firearm purchases. (It is my opinion that it exists solely to track gun owners in the event IL wants to come looking for your guns; since gun registration is un-Constitutional, they are registering owners)

We get to tell them that Chicago's continued violation of citizen's rights are not going unnoticed. Even after McDonald v Chicago there are multiple, ridiculous restrictions on firearms in Chicago homes.

We'll get to meet and talk with like minded folks from around the state about guns, shooting and hunting.

All these things and more.

Illinois continues to be one of the worst states in the country for gun owners, but we can improve things for ourselves and future generations to come if we make our voice heard.

If you are an IL resident  that owns firearms (or think you might like to one day) then you should attend if at all possible. For more info, please visit the link below:

http://igold.isra.org/

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.

Support the right to carry firearms in Illinois

Did you know that IL is the ONLY state in the union that does not allow its citizens the ability to carry a firearm for self defense?

This is especially important now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the 2nd Amendment applies to the individual citizen (McDonald v. Chicago). This landmark decision restores firearm ownership rights for the citizens of Chicago and will also force the IL legislature to more carefully consider RTC (right to carry) for law abiding residents of IL.

There are many folks who argue that allowing the carry of a concealed firearm will result in blood running through the streets of our state, which we know is simply not true. None of the other states that allow carry have experienced this at all and most have seen a decrease in violent crime as the criminals are now forced to guess if their intended victims are armed or not.

If you ever travel to Indiana, there is a likelihood that someone else in the store or restaurant with you is legally armed. Current stats indicate that approximately 12% of Indiana citizens have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. I don't recall any news stories that point to bloody gun battles in the Hoosier state recently.

Perhaps you aren't comfortable with the responsibility that comes with carrying a weapon; that's just fine, simply don't do it. But I would ask that you respect the rights of those who do make that choice.

If you'd like to learn more about RTC or owning firearms at all, please check out some of the links below.

Support the right to carry firearms in Illinois: "Help bring the Right To Carry firearms to law-abiding citizens in Illinois" (you can find many other links to common myths and facts on this site)

McDonald v. Chicago info.  

Illinoiscarry.com (a great website with user forums for discussing RTC in IL)

The Illinois Sheriff's Association supports RTC in IL (this will launch a PDF)

Gun Facts

A Human Right

So much for that...

I had high hopes (don't we all?) of keeping up with this blog thing last year.... While speaking with a friend today, I was reminded that I had let this go; so here I am, wheeeee.

The thing that is currently irking me: People who refuse to accept that owning a gun is perfectly reasonable.

Look, if folks are paranoid about guns and don't want them in their own home, that's fine by me. But there is absolutely no reason that I shouldn't have one. I am a stable and responsible citizen of a (supposedly) free nation, I am not a criminal nor do I intend to become one. The folks I mention tend to believe that the police will always arrive in time to save them from Big Bad and that's simply not the case.

Someone recently overheard me talking with a friend about guns and chose to inform me that I was only putting myself in danger if I owned a firearm. Apparently, this guy believes that an inanimate object has the capability to be evil and warned me that I could be shot by my own gun at any moment, simply because said gun exists. I countered with the following facts:

Guns, like baseball bats, require a human being to put them to use. I have never witnessed a gun leap from the safe/counter top/whatever and fire itself and I doubt that I ever will. If a person picks up a baseball bat, he/she has a choice: play ball or use it to bust up windows/vehicles/people, etc. Guns can be used for responsible reasons as well (playing ball isn't one of them of course).

I then tried to explain why I own them, besides that whole 2nd Amendment thing....

As living arrangements go, I live in a fairly low crime area but it is also very rural and we have a Sheriff's dept. that is undermanned due to a small budget. It is NOT a zero crime area and several arrests connected with meth/meth making have been made over the past few years. My experience in dealing with tweakers/cookers/etc. is that they are very unpredictable and can be a threat.

In the county where I live, it can be upwards of 40 minutes to get police response if you live outside the limits of one of our small towns and you have need after 10pm or there about. (Yes, that's personal experience...and the 911 call was in reference to a known violent offender) There is only one (1) deputy on duty from 11pm until 7am and if he/she is on the opposite end of the county, it's up to us to protect ourselves and our families.

My opponent in this little argument said that I should move to a safer area or build a safe room in my home for these kinds of situations, rather than own a firearm. I replied that I couldn't afford to do either. He then offered that I could surely reason with a criminal and, that failing, was large enough to defend myself against an attacker if need be. I agree that while this may be true, I'm not willing to bet my life or my family's safety based on odds. Our conversation continued but there was no swaying either of us, so I won't drag details out any further.

More than one court has ruled that police do not have a duty to protect citizens (this continues to baffle me, BTW) and that's just one more reason why I choose to own guns for personal protection as well as target practice and hunting.

While I'm at it I should mention to those who may not know, IL is about to become the ONLY state in the Union that doesn't allow some form of concealed carry. Many of the politicos in the northern part of the state continue to endanger us by not recognizing that right. Our Constitution is supposed to protect our God given rights, but IL chooses to ignore the 2A.

49 states vs 1.....that's damned difficult to ignore.

Here's your homework: Take a few minutes and look up Hoplophobia.