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ISRA Warns Of Attempt To Hijack Illinois CCW Bill

May 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

The Illinois State Rifle Association just issued an urgent alert regarding attempts by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) to hijack the compromise concealed carry bill, S 2193, that was passed overwhelmingly in the Illinois House. Cullerton went on record immediately after the bill passed the House condemning it because it removed home-rule exceptions in Illinois firearms laws.

From ISRA:

SENATE PRESIDENT CULLERTON AND SENATOR KOTOWSKI SCHEMING TO DERAIL CONCEALED CARRY

Senate gun grabbers John Cullerton, Dan Kotowski and Kwame Raoul were busy this holiday weekend constructing a plan to derail the passage of concealed carry legislation.

As most of you know, House Speaker Madigan and Rep. Phelps last week hammered out a concealed carry bill (SB2193) that passed the House with 85 votes. Although the bill was not 100% of what law-abiding Illinois gun owners were hoping for, SB2193 serves as a good baseline for the institution of state-wide personal protection measures.

As expected, anti-gun extremists in the Illinois Senate went to work immediately with a plan to shut down SB2193 when it came over from the House. Based on what the ISRA has learned, Cullerton-Kotowski-Raoul have come up with a bill of their own that would have so many exemptions that concealed carry permits would be impossible to get. Furthermore, there are reportedly so many restrictions in their proposal that, even if you were fortunate enough to be granted a carry permit, there would be very few areas where you would be able to carry legally. Of course, the places where concealed carry would be the most necessary are exempted in the Cullerton-Kotowski-Raoul “no carry” plan.

One thing is for certain, Senate President John Cullerton has refused to allow Sen. Forby to call SB2193 for a vote in the Senate – effectively killing the bill.

We are not 100% sure as of yet what the Cullerton-Kotowski-Raoul bill number will be. We think it will come as an amendment to HB0183.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO STOP CULLERTON FROM HIJACKING CONCEALED CARRY:

1. Immediately call your Illinois Senator and politely tell the person on the phone that you are a law-abiding Illinois gun owner and that you oppose Senate President Cullerton’s attempts to hijack concealed carry. Politely tell the person that you expect the Senator to vote against any concealed carry proposal Cullerton tries to advance. If you do not know who your Illinois Senator is, click this link:

Illinois State Board of Elections

2. Please pass this alert on to your family and friends, ask them to make calls as well.

3. Please post this alert to any and all Internet bulletin boards or blogs to which you belong.

REMEMBER: The fate of concealed carry is in your hands!

UPDATE: More on the behind the scenes machinations of the gun prohibitionists in the Illinois State Senate from the Facebook page of IL-Gunlobby.

..Call your senator today and tell them to oppose HB183 amend 4

The senate dems met for a 2 hour caucus that devolved into a a shouting match amoung senators.

The President is refusing to allow Senator Forby to call the house carry bill. Instead they are going to offer an amendment to their bill that takes most of the parts of the House bill but then strips out the safe harbor provisions, any private property can ban firearms on their property all they want. .

They will remove restaurant carry and increase penalties for carrying while intoxicated to a class A misdemeanor.

They will also whittle down the preemption to only apply to carrying. But unclear if that applies to mags, ammunition and other things or not.

We could see an amendment late tonight with a committee hearing in the AM but unsure as these clowns don’t seem to be very organized

More as we get it

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Interesting Name For A PAC Backing Obama

May 28, 2013 by 7 Comments

The Harrisburg, PA newsite Pennlive.com reports on an Obama-backing super PAC that plans to push gun control in meetings tomorrow with NAACP leaders from Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York.

The name of this PAC is 1911 United. I have absolutely no clue where the 1911 in their name comes from but it seems strange to hear 1911 connected with a push for gun control.

Members of 1911 United plan to engage community leaders in a conversation about how gun violence has impacted their communities. The work is part of research the group is conducting as it prepares to to lobby Congress to pass gun control legislation.

Representatives of 1911 United plan to meet with NAACP leaders from Harrisburg, York and Lancaster as they make their way to Chicago, which has one of the worst homicide rates in the nation.

The super PAC is comprised of members of Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities, although they will be acting as individuals, according to a press release.

Local tour organizers Jesse Rawls, Sr. and Homer C. Floyd will hold a press conference at 11 a.m., Tuesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. City Government Center in Harrisburg. Floyd retired last year as longtime executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The NAACP has launched a nationwide campaign calling for tougher anti-gun laws and increased programs to fight gun violence.

The 1911 United campaign will make its way to Chicago, where it plans to spend 30 days working in communities there hard hit by gun violence.

The comments on this story are not exactly complimentary to this group. That said, I was amused by the one that suggested the group should have been called the “Colt 1911 United Plan”.

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Memorial Day 2013

May 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

Thanks to the wonders of the Internet (and Ancestry.com), I found the draft cards of both of my grandfathers as well as that of my Dad.

Neither grandfather served in the military nor was drafted for World War I. I think a lot of this had to do with their ages. While both were over 21 in 1917, they were both towards the upper range of the age group considered. My Grandpa Richardson was 32 and had 3-4 dependent children by that time. Meanwhile, my Grandpa Sheridan was 28 and single but had poor vision. My mother said he always regretted that this prevented him from serving during WWI.

William Thomas Richardson, 1918

John Francis Sheridan, 1917

My Dad was drafted in 1940 and swore his enlistment oath on Dec. 10, 1940 at Fort Bragg, NC. He was originally drafted for the “Hawaiian Department” but ended up serving most of the war in the Caribbean Defense Command.

Paul Thomas Richardson, 1940

This could be one of those family legend stories but my Dad was reputed to be the first man drafted and actually inducted from Randolph County, North Carolina. What I do know is that he served in the Army from 1940 until 1945 and then again from 1953 until 1972 when he was medically retired as a First Sergeant.

Interestingly enough, I also found my Grandpa Sheridan’s draft card from WWII when he was in his early 50s. By this time, he was the Tax Assessor for the County and Borough of Richmond, New York. I haven’t been able to find my Grandpa Richardson’s even though all men between 18 and 65 were required to register after we actually entered the war.

John F. Sheridan, 1942

On this Memorial Day, let us remember all that served and, more importantly, those who gave their lives in the defense of this nation and its liberties.

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Dick Is A Dick

May 27, 2013 by 5 Comments

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Majority Whip and the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate Leadership, was a guest on Fox News Sunday along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Part of the discussion surrounded having Attorney General Eric Holder investigate Holder’s own role in the DOJ’s targeting of journalists. Graham said there should be a Special Counsel appointed to investigate the matter. Durbin disagreed.

From the transcript of Durbin’s remarks:

But here is the bottom line: the media shield law, which I am prepared to support, and I know Senator Graham supports, still leaves an unanswered question which I have raised many times, what is a journalist today, 2013?

We know it’s someone who works for Fox or A.P., but does it include a blogger? Does it include someone who’s tweeting? Are these people journalists and entitled to constitutional protection?

It is obvious to me that Sen. Durbin has about as much respect for my First Amendment rights as he does for my Second Amendment rights. It really isn’t that surprising coming from a statist such as Durbin.

My response while I’m still entitled to any measure of First Amendment rights is that Dick Durbin can go straight to hell and take the rest of his ilk with him.

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Comment Of The Day

May 25, 2013 by 6 Comments

From Ann Althouse’s blog in a discussion of the woman who knelt by the body of the British soldier who had just been murdered by two radical Muslims. The discussion also asked where were the men.

That was a Brit thing. She could not act any better than she was trained
to act. But she will courageously take flowers to the funeral.

An American mother would have grabbed a gun and shot the attacker with a high capacity magazine until it was empty.

The British cops also just stood around waiting for their firearms unit to arrive. Perhaps, just perhaps, if someone had come to the aid of the soldier when he was getting stabbed and before he was beheaded, he might be “in hospital” recovering from his wounds.

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Illinois House Passes Concealed Carry 85-30

May 24, 2013 by 3 Comments

The Illinois State House of Representatives passed the compromise concealed carry bill today by a vote of 85 yea, 30 nays, and 1 present. SB 2193 now goes back to the State Senate for their concurrence.

MyStateline.com reports that Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL) is opposed to the bill and will work to defeat it. The sticking point for Quinn is state preemption of all firearm laws which negates home-rule for places like Chicago and Cook County.

The margin in the House would override a Governor’s veto, but Governor
Quinn pledged in a statement to do whatever he could to defeat it,
calling it “a massive overreach on the concealed carry issue that would
automatically repeal local public safety ordinances including Chicago’s
assault weapons ban. … The principle of home rule is an important one.
As written, this legislation is a massive overreach that would repeal
critical gun safety ordinances in Chicago, Cook County, and across
Illinois.”

Examining the 30 nay votes on SB 2193 finds that they are all Democrats and, with one exception, are all from Chicago, Cook County, or an adjoining county. The one exception was Rep. Charles Jefferson (D-Rockford).

The roll call of the votes is found here.

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Assaulted Theatrical Trailer

May 24, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Second Amendment documentary Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire has its theatrical debut on June 20th. They have just released the theatrical trailer for the film which is below.

The executive producer Kris Koenig was interviewed by FoxNews about the film yesterday.


“’Assaulted’ turns the gun debate around. It is a civil rights issue, and we take a look at the history of the Second Amendment. It’s a right that has been abused over the years and one that gets overlooked the most,” the film’s executive producer, writer and director, Kris Koenig, told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “It’s a self-defense right that gets distorted into self-offense. Our civil rights are very precious to us. The reason our country exists is to balance individual rights against the whole. It has kept our country safe.”

Narrated by Ice-T, the film features myriad voices on the topic. Nugent appears along with Dan Gross, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,as well as UCLA professor and author Adam Winkler. The movie aims to take a critical look at our current gun laws, Koenig explained, and how the concept of people rising up against the government in the U.S. may not be so farfetched.

“When you look at what is happening with the IRS targeting certain groups, or the FBI looking into media phone records, you realize it doesn’t take a lot to push a government into tyranny. I’m not suggesting we are anywhere near that point now, but governments do break down,” Koenig cautioned. “Look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina, or the L.A riots. The government wasn’t there to protect the people, and Koreatown was left as something of a battleground. We see small incidences like this where the government does fail us.”

The Fox article also quotes one of our favorite “historians” and gun prohibitionists Ladd Everitt.

“Our chief concern with ‘Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire’ is its advocacy for ‘Second Amendment remedies’ – the perverted and treasonous idea that there is an individual right under the Second Amendment to threaten and/or initiate violence against government officials when one senses ‘tyranny,’ said Ladd Everitt, director of communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “The film glorifies those who have employed political violence in the past and makes fraudulent historical claims.”

That should be enough to get most of us to go to the theater and I have not been in a movie theater since the year 2000!

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Just Because..

May 24, 2013 by 1 Comment

I’m posting this just because it entertained me. I love Greg Hickok aka Hickok45’s YouTube videos and this one is no exception. Who among us wouldn’t want to shoot a Sten submachine gun? I know ammo is in short supply but I’d scrounge the “ammo bunker” to find enough 9mm to go shooting for an afternoon with the Sten.

While you can’t legally make and register a new Sten under the NFA with the ATF thanks to the Hughes Amendment, full blueprints are available. If we ever enter a TEOTWAWKI (or the new acronym, WROL) period, I have no doubt that a competent machinist with a decent workshop including a milling machine could make one.

Below is an animation of the Sten firing. You can see that it is an open bolt, blowback operated, firing mechanism.

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Stage Planning For Steel Challenge With Doug Koenig

May 24, 2013 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of its pistol training videos featuring champion shooter Doug Koenig. In this video, Koenig discusses how he approaches shooting a five-plate set-up. He also discusses alternatives to his way of shooting including one that is used successively by Max Michel. As Koenig makes clear, you need to take the approach that you feel most comfortable with shooting.