DrDavidM
New member
There are at least some people who believe handgun carry could help IL.
I doubt they will ever convince the rest of IL, but maybe there is hope.
Link Removed
State needs concealed carry law, not county
By Chuck Sweeny
RRSTAR.COM
Posted May 17, 2008 @ 08:39 PM
When Winnebago County Board member Randy Olson, R-1st, asked me what I thought of a concealed carry proposal he and Doug Aurand, D-3rd, planned to present to the board, I said I had no problem with the concept. Forty-eight states allow people to carry concealed weapons under certain circumstances. Only Illinois and Wisconsin do not.
To qualify for a permit, I’d want people to be American citizens without significant criminal records, and I’d require them to take and pass a firearms training course.
They‘d have to take refresher courses in gun safety every three years. Their names would be on a statewide, searchable database and their driver’s licenses would indicate that they were permitted to carry concealed weapons. I’d be pretty strict about it.
So, if liberal states like Massachusetts, New York and California have concealed carry laws and nobody‘s raising a ruckus over it, the idea can’t be that controversial.
Besides, the bad guys are packing heat already, so maybe this would level the playing field.
However, this is a decision for the General Assembly and the governor to make. I‘m pretty sure Winnebago County can’t pass its own concealed carry law. If counties could do that, Illinois would have a patchwork of laws in all 102 counties, some with concealed carry, some without, and all having different regulations.
In short, we’d have chaos. So, if the Winnebago County Board wants to pass a resolution urging the state legislature to pass a concealed carry bill, that’s fine with me.
But going beyond that, such as trying to deputize residents to make them eligible to carry hidden guns, is not only impractical, it would not withstand the inevitable court challenge. And we don’t want tax dollars spent defending the indefensible.
I doubt they will ever convince the rest of IL, but maybe there is hope.
Link Removed
State needs concealed carry law, not county
By Chuck Sweeny
RRSTAR.COM
Posted May 17, 2008 @ 08:39 PM
When Winnebago County Board member Randy Olson, R-1st, asked me what I thought of a concealed carry proposal he and Doug Aurand, D-3rd, planned to present to the board, I said I had no problem with the concept. Forty-eight states allow people to carry concealed weapons under certain circumstances. Only Illinois and Wisconsin do not.
To qualify for a permit, I’d want people to be American citizens without significant criminal records, and I’d require them to take and pass a firearms training course.
They‘d have to take refresher courses in gun safety every three years. Their names would be on a statewide, searchable database and their driver’s licenses would indicate that they were permitted to carry concealed weapons. I’d be pretty strict about it.
So, if liberal states like Massachusetts, New York and California have concealed carry laws and nobody‘s raising a ruckus over it, the idea can’t be that controversial.
Besides, the bad guys are packing heat already, so maybe this would level the playing field.
However, this is a decision for the General Assembly and the governor to make. I‘m pretty sure Winnebago County can’t pass its own concealed carry law. If counties could do that, Illinois would have a patchwork of laws in all 102 counties, some with concealed carry, some without, and all having different regulations.
In short, we’d have chaos. So, if the Winnebago County Board wants to pass a resolution urging the state legislature to pass a concealed carry bill, that’s fine with me.
But going beyond that, such as trying to deputize residents to make them eligible to carry hidden guns, is not only impractical, it would not withstand the inevitable court challenge. And we don’t want tax dollars spent defending the indefensible.
