concealed carry

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Concealed Carry For Me But Not For Thee?

July 5, 2011 by

Why is it that some elected officials and senior bureaucrats believe their need for protection is superior to that of the ordinary citizen?

A case in point. The Town of Willard (Missouri) Board of Alderman is set to vote July 11th on an ordinance that would allow the mayor, alderman, town department heads, and other specified town employees to carry on town property so long as they had a Missouri concealed carry permit. Williard is located just outside of Springfield. The complete list includes:

In addition to the mayor and council members, a bill up for vote on July 11 at Willard City Council would allow the following people to carry concealed weapons on city property: the city attorney, a city administrator, the chief financial officer, the city clerk, the emergency management director, the municipal court clerk, the parks and recreation director, the public works director, the director of development.

The Mayor of Willard Tom Keltner says “We’ve had threats”. Pushed to be specific, he said while he’d heard of other threats he referred to one where a man had requested the Board’s agenda back in April.

According to Police Chief Tom McClain, a city staff person reported that a resident came in April 25 asking for a city council agenda and suggesting he wanted to start trouble.

The staff member asked “Are you going to bring your stirring stick?” The resident reportedly answered, “No, how about my 45?”

McClain said he investigated the incident and the resident’s history. The resident did not have a criminal history, and McClain did not believe there was enough to get charges to stick, so no charges were filed.

So a guy responds to one smart-alecky remark with another smart-alecky remark and ends up getting investigated by the police. Based on this, a group of politicians believe they should have the ability to carry concealed in places where their constituents do not. Why am I not surprised.

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Wisconsin’s Concealed Carry Law To Be Signed Friday

July 5, 2011 by

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) will sign the bill that makes Wisconsin the 49th state with some form of concealed carry on Friday in Wausau, WI.

The primary sponsor of the bill, State Senator Pam Galloway (R), represents Wausau in the Wisconsin State Senate.

The location of the signing will be at the Grand Lodge Hotel just outside of Wausau in Rothschild. Looks like a nice place for this historic event.

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Winning

June 7, 2011 by 3 Comments

KCRA Television reports that concealed carry permits are up dramatically in Sacramento, California. According to reporter Danielle Leigh, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has approved more concealed carry permits this year than in the history of the department. While neither she nor the spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office mention it, this is directly attributable to the agreement reached by the Second Amendment Foundation and the CalGuns Foundation with the Sheriff’s Department where “self-defense” is now recognized as showing “good cause”.

The reporter asks the Sheriff’s Department spokesman whether the rise in CCW permits means things are “out of control” and he replies, “I don’t think so.”

There is the obligatory interview with a Brady Campaign representative. Rebecca Gonzales says she is afraid that “gun violence” will go up. The response from the Sheriff’s Department spokesman is that they have never had anyone shot by a  CCW holder and that he hopes that trend continues.

Click on the link below to watch the video report.

Concealed Weapons Permits Up In Sacramento – Video – KCRA Sacramento

H/T Josh

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Saying No To Self-Protection

May 20, 2011 by 3 Comments

Saying no to self-protection seems to the modus operandi within corporate America. I put this down to risk managers making the calculation that it is cheaper to pay a death claim on a murdered employee than it to defend a lawsuit filed by a personal injury lawyer on behalf of a criminal.

The latest case involves the Walgreen’s chain of pharmacies.

Jeremy Hoven was the night shift pharmacist at the Benton Township, Michigan Walgreens. I say “was” because he was fired by Walgreens after he stopped an armed robbery by firing his 3-4 shots from his revolver at the criminals. Mr. Hoven holds a Michigan concealed carry permit and was one of four employees in the store when the attempted robbery took place. According to his interview with the Herald-Palladium of Southwest Michigan,

Hoven said his first hint something was wrong was seeing a manager run into a storeroom on the building’s west side. Seconds later he saw a man brandishing a handgun, guiding the second manager around the shelf at the northeast corner.

“The first thing I tried to do was dial 911 but I couldn’t get it done,” Hoven said. “Within seconds he was over the counter. And I’m looking at the wrong end of a 9-millimeter (gun). He was holding it gangster-style” – sideways.

The robber had jumped over the counter, leaving the manager in the aisle. The robber came within a few feet of Hoven.

Hoven said the only thing behind the attacker was a cinder block wall. Thus he pulled his gun and fired three or four shots.

“I was creating a safe zone for myself,” he said.

The attacker tried to fire back, but his gun either malfunctioned or the safety had been left on, Hoven said.

Mr. Hoven says he would do it again because he knows he did the right thing in protecting himself and his fellow employees.

As to Walgreens, on this past Monday they informed him by e-mail that he was fired. Frankly, I do not plan to give my patronage to a store that (a) cares so little about their employees’ safety and (b) has so little class that they fire the guy by e-mail.

H/T Brian

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CCW In Wisconsin Sooner Than Later?

May 9, 2011 by 1 Comment

If the Washington Post is to be believed, Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature are making a major push to pass certain legislation before recall elections scheduled for this summer.

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker and GOP leaders have launched a push to ram several years’ worth of conservative agenda items through the Legislature this spring before recall elections threaten to end the party’s control of state government.

Republicans, in a rapid sequence of votes over the next eight weeks, plan to legalize concealed weapons, deregulate the telephone industry, require voters to show photo identification at the polls, expand school vouchers and undo an early release for prisoners.

Six Republican State Senators and three Democrats may face recall elections starting in July. A net change of three seats would let the Democrats regains control of the State Senate. Both the recall elections and the time crunch to pass legislation can be attributed to the clash with public employee unions along with the walk-out by Democrat members of the State Senate.

It can be expected that both the Democrat Party and the unions will put lots of money into these recall elections as they did during the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election between Justice David Prosser and his Democrat challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. While still undergoing a recount, it looks like Justice Prosser held onto his seat despite the opposition’s money. However, in a local election, it could have more of an impact.

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Two Hundred!

May 7, 2011 by 5 Comments

A mere 37 days after HR 822 – the National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Bill – hit 100 co-sponsors, the bill now has hit 200 co-sponsors. This makes it the third most co-sponsored bill in the House of Representatives. The only bills that have more co-sponsors deal with tax-payer funding of abortion (HR 3) and the repeal of 1099 filing requirements for small business transactions (HR 4).

I attribute the growth in the number of co-sponsors to Representatives hearing from their constituents. If you look at when significant numbers of co-sponsors sign on to the bill, it is usually within a few days after the House has had a break for members to work in their districts or a recess. For example, the Spring Recess was the last two weeks of April and now in the first week of May there are 29 new co-sponsors.

Breaking down the co-sponsors, you find 16 out of the 25 “official” Blue Dog Democrats are listed as co-sponsors. Of the nine remaining Blue Dogs, five are Californians including Adam Schiff and Loretta Sanchez who have always trended anti-gun. There are a number of other non-Blue Dogs Democrats who have always been pro-gun such as John Dingell (former NRA Board member), Larry Kissell (D-NC), and a number of the Democrats in the Mid-West, Mountain West, and Pennsylvania. Then there was Steve Cohen of Memphis who I wrote about yesterday. I can’t figure out his support but I will take it anyway!

I was pleased to see every Republican and three Democrats from North Carolina listed as co-sponsors of the bill. This leaves the four North Carolina Democrats who rarely see an anti-gun bill that they don’t eventually support.

With the amount of support that this bill has garnered, it is a bit disappointing that the leadership of the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security haven’t moved this bill. Maybe if Chairman Lamar Smith and Subcommittee Chair James Sensenbrenner were less concerned with the PATRIOT Act and kiddie porn and were co-sponsors of this bill, we might get some movement towards hearings on this bill.

Below is the list of those who have signed on as co-sponsors to Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. If your congressman is not on this, give him or her a call and ask why not. Do this even if they are ardently anti-gun. I remember something that Colleen Lawson – one of the plaintiffs in McDonald v. Chicago – said to me at the NRA Annual Meeting. She said her Illnois State Representative said she and her husband David were the only two that called his office in support of concealed carry in Illinois. Don’t let that happen here.

Alphabetical with date of becoming a co-sponsor

Rep Adams, Sandy [FL-24] – 3/8/2011
Rep Aderholt, Robert B. [AL-4] – 3/29/2011
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] – 4/13/2011
Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] – 4/7/2011
Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] – 3/16/2011
Rep Austria, Steve [OH-7] – 4/14/2011
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] – 4/15/2011
Rep Bachmann, Michele [MN-6] – 3/2/2011
Rep Bachus, Spencer [AL-6] – 3/8/2011
Rep Barletta, Lou [PA-11] – 4/13/2011
Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] – 4/13/2011
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] – 4/13/2011
Rep Barton, Joe [TX-6] – 3/2/2011
Rep Bass, Charles F. [NH-2] – 5/2/2011
Rep Benishek, Dan [MI-1] – 3/3/2011
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] – 4/15/2011
Rep Bilirakis, Gus M. [FL-9] – 3/11/2011
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] – 4/7/2011
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] – 3/3/2011
Rep Bonner, Jo [AL-1] – 4/8/2011
Rep Boren, Dan [OK-2] – 3/2/2011
Rep Boswell, Leonard L. [IA-3] – 3/2/2011
Rep Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [LA-7] – 4/14/2011
Rep Brady, Kevin [TX-8] – 4/5/2011
Rep Brooks, Mo [AL-5] – 4/5/2011
Rep Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] – 4/8/2011
Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] – 3/15/2011
Rep Bucshon, Larry [IN-8] – 4/13/2011
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] – 3/2/2011
Rep Camp, Dave [MI-4] – 4/4/2011
Rep Canseco, Francisco “Quico” [TX-23] – 3/8/2011
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2] – 4/7/2011
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] – 3/2/2011
Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] – 4/13/2011
Rep Chaffetz, Jason [UT-3] – 3/3/2011
Rep Chandler, Ben [KY-6] – 4/13/2011
Rep Coble, Howard [NC-6] – 5/6/2011
Rep Coffman, Mike [CO-6] – 3/2/2011
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] – 5/2/2011
Rep Cole, Tom [OK-4] – 3/2/2011
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] – 4/5/2011
Rep Costello, Jerry F. [IL-12] – 3/11/2011
Rep Cravaack, Chip [MN-8] – 4/15/2011
Rep Crawford, Eric A. “Rick” [AR-1] – 5/3/2011
Rep Crenshaw, Ander [FL-4] – 3/15/2011
Rep Critz, Mark S. [PA-12] – 3/17/2011
Rep Cuellar, Henry [TX-28] – 4/14/2011
Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] – 4/14/2011
Rep Davis, Geoff [KY-4] – 3/3/2011
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] – 4/14/2011
Rep Denham, Jeff [CA-19] – 4/4/2011
Rep Dent, Charles W. [PA-15] – 3/16/2011
Rep DesJarlais, Scott [TN-4] – 4/14/2011
Rep Diaz-Balart, Mario [FL-21] – 3/2/2011
Rep Dingell, John D. [MI-15] – 4/15/2011
Rep Donnelly, Joe [IN-2] – 4/13/2011
Rep Duncan, Jeff [SC-3] – 3/29/2011
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] – 3/2/2011
Rep Ellmers, Renee L. [NC-2] – 4/5/2011
Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] – 3/8/2011
Rep Farenthold, Blake [TX-27] – 4/14/2011
Rep Fitzpatrick, Michael G. [PA-8] – 4/13/2011
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] – 3/11/2011
Rep Flores, Bill [TX-17] – 4/5/2011
Rep Forbes, J. Randy [VA-4] – 3/29/2011
Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5] – 3/8/2011
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] – 3/30/2011
Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] – 3/2/2011
Rep Gibbs, Bob [OH-18] – 3/15/2011
Rep Gibson, Christopher P. [NY-20] – 3/2/2011
Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11] – 3/2/2011
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] – 5/2/2011
Rep Gosar, Paul A. [AZ-1] – 5/2/2011
Rep Gowdy, Trey [SC-4] – 5/6/2011
Rep Granger, Kay [TX-12] – 3/3/2011
Rep Graves, Sam [MO-6] – 3/2/2011
Rep Graves, Tom [GA-9] – 5/2/2011
Rep Green, Gene [TX-29] – 3/10/2011
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] – 5/2/2011
Rep Griffith, H. Morgan [VA-9] – 3/15/2011
Rep Guinta, Frank C. [NH-1] – 4/5/2011
Rep Guthrie, Brett [KY-2] – 4/13/2011
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [TX-4] – 3/3/2011
Rep Hanna, Richard L. [NY-24] – 4/15/2011
Rep Harper, Gregg [MS-3] – 4/14/2011
Rep Harris, Andy [MD-1] – 3/10/2011
Rep Hartzler, Vicky [MO-4] – 5/5/2011
Rep Heck, Joseph J. [NV-3] – 3/30/2011
Rep Heinrich, Martin [NM-1] – 3/3/2011
Rep Heller, Dean [NV-2] – 3/2/2011
Rep Hensarling, Jeb [TX-5] – 3/30/2011
Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2] – 3/3/2011
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] – 3/3/2011
Rep Huelskamp, Tim [KS-1] – 3/2/2011
Rep Hultgren, Randy [IL-14] – 5/2/2011
Rep Hunter, Duncan D. [CA-52] – 3/29/2011
Rep Jenkins, Lynn [KS-2] – 3/8/2011
Rep Johnson, Bill [OH-6] – 4/13/2011
Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] – 3/14/2011
Rep Johnson, Timothy V. [IL-15] – 3/3/2011
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 4/7/2011
Rep Jordan, Jim [OH-4] – 3/11/2011
Rep Kelly, Mike [PA-3] – 4/8/2011
Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] – 4/13/2011
Rep Kinzinger, Adam [IL-11] – 3/14/2011
Rep Kissell, Larry [NC-8] – 3/3/2011
Rep Kline, John [MN-2] – 3/8/2011
Rep Labrador, Raul R. [ID-1] – 5/2/2011
Rep Lamborn, Doug [CO-5] – 3/2/2011
Rep Landry, Jeffrey M. [LA-3] – 4/13/2011
Rep Lankford, James [OK-5] – 5/2/2011
Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] – 5/2/2011
Rep Latham, Tom [IA-4] – 3/8/2011
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. [OH-14] – 4/13/2011
Rep Latta, Robert E. [OH-5] – 3/14/2011
Rep Long, Billy [MO-7] – 4/14/2011
Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3] – 4/4/2011
Rep Luetkemeyer, Blaine [MO-9] – 3/29/2011
Rep Lujan, Ben Ray [NM-3] – 4/8/2011
Rep Mack, Connie [FL-14] – 4/7/2011
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] – 4/5/2011
Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] – 4/15/2011
Rep Matheson, Jim [UT-2] – 4/14/2011
Rep McCaul, Michael T. [TX-10] – 4/14/2011
Rep McClintock, Tom [CA-4] – 5/2/2011
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] – 3/8/2011
Rep McHenry, Patrick T. [NC-10] – 5/2/2011
Rep McIntyre, Mike [NC-7] – 3/8/2011
Rep McKinley, David B. [WV-1] – 4/4/2011
Rep Mica, John L. [FL-7] – 3/3/2011
Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] – 4/14/2011
Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10] – 3/16/2011
Rep Miller, Gary G. [CA-42] – 3/3/2011
Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] – 3/2/2011
Rep Mulvaney, Mick [SC-5] – 3/8/2011
Rep Murphy, Tim [PA-18] – 4/5/2011
Rep Myrick, Sue Wilkins [NC-9] – 5/2/2011
Rep Neugebauer, Randy [TX-19] – 4/14/2011
Rep Nugent, Richard [FL-5] – 3/17/2011
Rep Nunnelee, Alan [MS-1] – 5/2/2011
Rep Olson, Pete [TX-22] – 4/13/2011
Rep Owens, William L. [NY-23] – 3/2/2011
Rep Palazzo, Steven M. [MS-4] – 3/15/2011
Rep Pence, Mike [IN-6] – 3/2/2011
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] – 3/3/2011
Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] – 3/8/2011
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] – 3/29/2011
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] – 3/29/2011
Rep Pompeo, Mike [KS-4] – 3/17/2011
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] – 3/3/2011
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] – 3/3/2011
Rep Reed, Tom [NY-29] – 4/4/2011
Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] – 4/8/2011
Rep Renacci, James B. [OH-16] – 5/2/2011
Rep Rigell, E. Scott [VA-2] – 5/3/2011
Rep Rivera, David [FL-25] – 3/11/2011
Rep Roby, Martha [AL-2] – 5/3/2011
Rep Roe, David P. [TN-1] – 4/14/2011
Rep Rogers, Harold [KY-5] – 5/5/2011
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [AL-3] – 3/2/2011
Rep Rogers, Mike J. [MI-8] – 3/14/2011
Rep Rokita, Todd [IN-4] – 5/5/2011
Rep Rooney, Thomas J. [FL-16] – 4/7/2011
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] – 4/8/2011
Rep Ross, Dennis [FL-12] – 3/11/2011
Rep Ross, Mike [AR-4] – 3/2/2011
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] – 4/4/2011
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] – 3/29/2011
Rep Schilling, Robert T. [IL-17] – 4/14/2011
Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] – 3/2/2011
Rep Schock, Aaron [IL-18] – 3/29/2011
Rep Schweikert, David [AZ-5] – 4/15/2011
Rep Scott, Austin [GA-8] – 5/5/2011
Rep Scott, Tim [SC-1] – 5/2/2011
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] – 4/7/2011
Rep Shuler, Heath [NC-11] – 2/18/2011
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] – 4/4/2011
Rep Smith, Adrian [NE-3] – 4/14/2011
Rep Southerland, Steve [FL-2] – 5/5/2011
Rep Stivers, Steve [OH-15] – 4/13/2011
Rep Stutzman, Marlin A. [IN-3] – 5/6/2011
Rep Sullivan, John [OK-1] – 3/29/2011
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] – 3/30/2011
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] – 4/5/2011
Rep Thornberry, Mac [TX-13] – 3/16/2011
Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12] – 3/16/2011
Rep Tipton, Scott [CO-3] – 5/2/2011
Rep Turner, Michael R. [OH-3] – 3/8/2011
Rep Walden, Greg [OR-2] – 5/2/2011
Rep Walsh, Joe [IL-8] – 4/15/2011
Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] – 3/29/2011
Rep West, Allen B. [FL-22] – 3/3/2011
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] – 3/2/2011
Rep Whitfield, Ed [KY-1] – 4/14/2011
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] – 3/8/2011
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] – 3/10/2011
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [VA-10] – 3/30/2011
Rep Yoder, Kevin [KS-3] – 4/8/2011
Rep Young, Don [AK] – 3/2/2011
Rep Young, Todd C. [IN-9] – 3/30/2011

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Wisconsin Legislature Begins Efforts On Concealed Carry

May 6, 2011 by 2 Comments

The NRA-ILA has just released information on two concealed carry bills that are due to be introduced into the Wisconsin legislature. One will allow a Vermont or Arizona style constitutional carry. The other is a “shall issue” concealed carry permit.

Wisconsin: The 2011 Personal Protection Act Has Arrived!
Committee Hearings Have Been Scheduled for Next Thursday!

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Now is Time for You to Act!

The good citizens of Wisconsin have been denied their right to self-defense for too long and the time has now come to make the Personal Protection Act a reality! It is time that Wisconsin joins Free America and the 48 other states with concealed carry laws. The bills have been circulated for sponsorship and it is critical that you contact your state Representative and state Senator to urge them to cosponsor this legislation.

There are two bills being introduced in the 2011 legislative session that allow Wisconsinites to carry concealed weapons for personal protection. The first is known as “permitless carry” and it simply eliminates the current prohibition against law-abiding citizens carrying concealed firearms. Many citizens already carry openly and this will allow them to conceal their firearms. It also eliminates the “cased and unloaded” requirement for handguns in motor vehicles. State Senator Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) has introduced this bill in the Senate and there is currently no companion bill in the Assembly. Its designation before assigned a bill number is LRB 2007 and both senators and representatives are able to cosponsor it.

The second is a “shall issue” carry license bill that allows Wisconsinites to obtain a license from the state Department of Justice (DOJ) in order to carry a concealed weapon. This license bill offers some additional benefits. These include the ability to use the license to carry a concealed weapon in many other states while traveling and the ability to carry concealed weapons in school zones (1000-foot area surrounding school grounds). These zones are prolific and it is virtually impossible to navigate populated areas without entering them while engaging in routine activities. The federal penalty for a school zone violation is up to five years in prison and a fine. State Senator Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) and state Representative Jeffrey Mursau (R-Crivitz) are the sponsors of this bill. The current Senate Bill designation is LRB 2027 and the Assembly Bill is LRB 2033.

When contacting your state legislators to request that they cosponsor the Personal Protection Act, please also ask them to oppose any amendments that restrict your ability to defend yourself or place unnecessary hurdles in the process required to obtain a concealed weapons license. Too many legislators are acting as if there are not 48 other states with such concealed carry laws and that there is no way of determining what works and what does not. The time for guessing has ended!

We have provided two documents that will further inform you about this fight for your rights. One is a summary of the bills, with details regarding the “shall issue” carry license bill, and the other is a comprehensive Questions and Answers document

A search of the Wisconsin legislature’s website does not yet list either bill. I believe that is because they are being circulated to obtain sponsors and co-sponsors.

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Maybe He Should Apply For A Concealed Carry Permit

May 5, 2011 by 2 Comments

Now that Mayor Richard M. Daley is leaving office he wants to keep a few perks of the office. Namely, he wants to keep at least three (and preferrably five) of his Chicago Police Department bodyguards to protect him in retirement. It is also reported by Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed that Daley is requesting two cars to be put at his disposal – one for him and one for his wife.

The head of the local Fraternal Order of Police took issue with Daley’s request for these bodyguards. It should be noted that the Chicago PD is now over 2,300 officers short of its authorized strength.

The head of the police union called the mayor’s request for bodyguards after he leaves office ill-timed and “ridiculously excessive.”

“It’s another example of excessive use of manpower and resources during an extreme shortage,” said Michael Shields, president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Daley, as might be expected, disagreed and said his request was “appropriate”. His predecessor, Harold Washington, died in office and Washington’s predecessor, Jane Byrne, wasn’t given a bodyguard when she left office. I guess appropriate is in the eye of the beholder.

I’d normally suggest that if Mayor Daley is concerned for his safety and that of his family then he should apply for a concealed carry permit. However, due to the efforts of Mr. Daley and his Chicago Democratic Machine, the State of Illinois still doesn’t have concealed carry. And if Governor Pat Quinn – another politician from the Chicago Democratic Machine – is true to this word, HB 148 will be vetoed even if it does pass the Illinois House and Senate.

Life can be tough out in the real world. Daley’s efforts to keep the people of Chicago and the State of Illinois unarmed and defenseless are now coming back to bite him. As they say, payback is a bitch.

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Divergent Editorials On Concealed Carry In Illinois

May 5, 2011 by

With HB 148 – the Illinois right-to-carry bill – probably coming up for a vote today, I thought it would be interesting to contrast the divergent viewpoints on the issue from Chicago and Southern Illinois newspapers.

The Chicago Tribune ran an editorial on Wednesday entitled “Street Heat? Say No”. The editorial does acknowledge that Illinois is an outlier when it comes to concealed carry but then goes on to say “Outlier or not, we still think it would be a mistake to encourage people to walk around with guns.”

The Tribune editorial glosses over the research that shows crime rates decline or, at the very least, do not go up when concealed carry laws are implemented.

Bottom line: Concealed-carry laws don’t seem to have a significant impact on violence one way or the other. The odds aren’t much greater that you’re going to wind up successfully defending yourself with a gun on the street, or that you’re going to mistakenly or intentionally plug somebody with a bullet. There are cases, though, where licensed holders do commit violence.

They claim the HB 148’s authors recognize the potential for “mayhem” by restricting where concealed carry would be allowed under the bill. They then go on to attack all the places where concealed carry would be allowed.

Finally, despite being endorsed by the Illinois Sheriffs Association and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police along with organizations for the Chicago PD’s sergeants and lieutenants, the editorial claims CCW  raises public safety concerns for local cops. I believe that by this they mean the hierarchy of the Chicago Police Department and no one else. They conclude their editorial opposing CCW by saying:

We see more problems here. The background check procedures for issuing a state firearm owner’s identification card are not foolproof. The state lacks enough control over the private sale of guns.

This bill needs an extraordinary majority to pre-empt local authority and to survive a veto from the governor. We urge lawmakers to reject it. The safety and well-being of the people of Illinois doesn’t start with the power to pack heat on the street.

In stark contrast to this fear-mongering editorial from the Chicago Tribune is an editorial in today’s Belleville News-Democrat. They take strong exception to Governor Pat Quinn playing the “fear card” when he says concealed carry will “to more danger and more bad things happening.”

That line might work if Illinois were the first state to consider concealed carry. But 48 of the 50 states already have concealed carry, with no horrible impact on public safety. That’s because the people who apply for a concealed-carry permits and are willing to undergo the required background checks and training are not the people out robbing and killing. They want this law to enhance public safety, not hurt it.

Whether HB 148 would improve safety is a matter for debate, but it’s safe to say that passage of the bill would not make Illinois a more dangerous place.

While stopping short of endorsing the bill, the editorial recognizes that CCW will not make Illinois like the so-called Wild West and that criminals are already carrying concealed. It is interesting to note of the nine comments on this editorial, eight support concealed carry and only one opposes it.