Concealed Carry Follies
Gun activists in Illinois are some of the most gullible chumps on the planet.
1997 Transportation Committee with downstate Dems approves Concealed Carry Bill
2005 Agriculture Committee approves at least 2 Concealed Carry proposals
2006 Agriculture Committee Approves Concealed Carry bill
2009 Ag Approves Concealed Carry bill
Add to that several times that bills have died in House and Senate rules on the issue and it’s pretty clear what the strategy is to anyone who is not a deluded advocate.
Only making the matter more absurd are stories from the press that suggest this is anything, but theater. While the stories often suggest that it won’t happen they chalk it up opponents and proponents being too evenly matched. That has nothing to do with it. The legislative leaders benefit from this charade as do Members.
Madigan sends the bill to a Committee with strong downstate presence, lets the bill pass giving his downstate conservative Members the ability to vote for it and then sits on the bill. Downstate Dems get to go back and say they sponsored or voted for the bill in committee, but they couldn’t get it to the floor, but they’ll keep working on it. Cross goes along because his downstate Members get the same opportunity and when the bill is killed, he doesn’t have to worry about his Chicago area Reps voting on it which would hurt them in a potential primary if they vote against it, but hurt them in the general for sure if they vote for it.
Madigan and Cross protect their Members. Members get to say they tried. Nothing changes. Repeat.
The bill isn’t getting to the House floor. It’s going to Bill Limbo until it gets sent to Sine DIe heaven. Yet the gun advocates keep making loud noises about how this is the year they beat back Daley and the gun grabbers.
It’s one thing to advocate for something you believe in, it’s another to be completely delusional about your chances.
March 12th, 2009 at
Concealed carry does not go far enough. I believe in open carry. I should be able to strap on my weapon and walk down the street and into the bar just like they did in the wild west (which, of course they did not). Furthermore, my ability to shoot with a handgun is not very good. So I should be allowed to carry my Uzi so as to better protect myself, and just in case the Uzi fails I want a few grenades on my vest.
March 12th, 2009 at
The open carry issue is one the concealed carry folks hate. They claim it doesn’t work as well because for the deterrent effect to work, potential criminals have to not know who might have a weapon.
Of course, the issue is that even in states with relatively high numbers of permits, the number carrying is so small to not be a real deterrent anyway. STrangely, most people aren’t so paranoid to need a firearm on them at all times.
And I’m with Bruce Cockburn on the rocket launchers.
March 16th, 2009 at
First, very few concealed carry advocates oppose open carry. Let’s not make things up.
Second, very few serious advocates of concealed carry (I’m talking about advocates who have been involved for more than the last few months) believe that this is the year Illinois suddenly becomes a shall-issue state. However, it’s never outside the realm of possibility, and more importantly, if we don’t advocate for it this year, that “next year” never comes. If we fail this year, we fail, but we’ve made progress.
Third, is the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association in on the theater? Are they also advocating concealed carry just to make Democrats in the legislature look good? What’s their motive in that?
Fourth, did IllinoisCarry exist in 1997? Did IGOLD get thousands of citizen lobbyists and close Springfield streets in 2005 and 2006?
Fifth and finally, the Heller decision is still out there, lurking. It’s very likely that Heller will lead to the incorporation of the 2nd Amendment via the 14th. When that happens, you can mock open carry all you want, but it’s likely going to be the new constitutional minimum. After that, every state will be an open carry state the same way every state is a free speech state today. In Ohio, all it took to get concealed carry was for people to practice open carry and let the average person on the street decide whether they really wanted to see the firearms others were carrying. The truth is that most people don’t; they’re scared of the gun, it makes them nervous, and if they can’t get rid of it they want it hidden away.