Voters to gauge concealed carry in November

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Voters to gauge concealed carry in November
By Stuart R. Wahlin, Staff Writer Print this page


Five board members vote against advisory referendum
The Winnebago County Board voted 21-5 July 10 to place an advisory referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot asking, “Shall the General Assembly enact legislation to permit the carrying of concealed firearms?”
With the passage of the resolution to place the question on the ballot, county officials will distribute the measure to the rest of the state, urging Illinois’ 101 other counties to place the same question before their voters.
If enough counties get onboard, concealed carry advocates feel, the voice of the citizenry will force the issue to be addressed in Springfield, where the matter seems perpetually buried in committee.
Although Illinois House Bill 1304, the Family and Personal Protection Act, received its first reading 17 months ago, the concealed carry measure has been referred to the Rules Committee four times, where it has been stalled since May.
Illinois and Wisconsin are the only states not to have adopted some form of carry legislation, and the push to change that is gaining momentum.
Wisconsin nearly passed its own act in 2006, but a veto by Gov. Jim Doyle (D) was narrowly upheld. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) also opposes concealed carry, pledging to veto any such measure.
“The problem with getting it out of committee is…that the governor will veto it,” explained Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) Executive Director Richard Pearson. “You have to have 71 votes in the House and 36 in the Senate just to get it to the governor’s desk.”
All eyes are now on Chicago, where Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) angrily resolved to arm himself with attorneys to protect his city’s ban on handguns, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last month to overturn a similar ban in Washington, D.C.
Less than 30 minutes after the Supreme Court ruling, the ISRA, the Second Amendment Foundation and four other plaintiffs filed suit against the City of Chicago to challenge the handgun ban.
“If he wants to fight it, he can fight it, but we are going after him,” Pearson told The Rock River Times, pledging to pursue the matter all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. Pearson argued Daley’s policies actually encourage crime.
“The criminals become more and more emboldened, and they simply take advantage of the situation,” Pearson added. “If a criminal breaks into a person’s home, it is unlikely, highly unlikely, that they have any chance to defend themselves.”
Chicago’s handgun ban, in place since 1982, does not apply to the city’s mayor or aldermen, who are permitted to carry concealed firearms. Chicago Ald. Richard Mell (D-33), father-in-law of Blagojevich, found himself red-faced recently for failing to re-register his personal arsenal as required by an ordinance he supported.
Daley acknowledged the city may need to make adjustments as a result of the Supreme Court ruling, but he still hopes to keep Chicago relatively handgun-free. In June, the Chicago Sun-Times reported former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley (D), brother of Chicago’s mayor, is considering a run for Illinois governor in 2010.
During the July 10 County Board meeting, Executive Committee Chairman Randy Olson (R-1) moved for the adoption of a resolution to place the question before the county’s voters. In a strong symbolic showing of support, the motion was seconded by Doug Aurand (D-3), John Ekberg (R-10), Kyle Logan (R-3), John F. Sweeney (R-14), Jim Webster (R-2), Fred Wescott (R-9) and Dave Yeske (R-2).
Other board members to vote in favor of the resolution were Karen Elyea (D-11), Dave Fiduccia (R-4), Frank Gambino (R-14), Paul Gorski (D-5), John Harmon (R-4), Bob Hastings (D-13), Phil Johnson (D-8), Bob Kinnison (R-10), Pete MacKay (R-5), Tom Owens (R-1), Mel Paris (D-8), Dorothy Redd (D-6) and Kelly Vecchio (R-7).
Rick Pollack (R-13) was absent.
Gun rights issues are typically taken up by Republicans, but the resolution did receive notable bipartisan support. A handful of Democrats, however, accounted for the only “no” votes. George Anne Duckett (D-12), Angie Goral (D-7), Pearl Hawks (D-6), Karen Hoffman (D-11) and L.C. Wilson (D-12) opposed the measure to give voters a say.
“I realize, you know, that the voters have the right to determine whether or not they want [concealed carry],” explained Hawks, “but I’m totally against concealed carry, because we already have the right to arm ourselves, and I don’t see the need to conceal a weapon.”
A subcommittee is still considering the possibility of presenting a “shall-issue” resolution for concealed carry permits specifically within Winnebago County, despite Illinois being a “no-issue” state.
The possible resolution would instruct Sheriff Richard Meyers (D) to issue permits to qualified applicants, but Meyers has said he won’t do that unless he gets the OK from the state’s attorney.
Neither appointed State’s Attorney Phil Nicolosi (R) nor candidates Chuck Prorok (R) and Joe Bruscato (D) would advise issuing the permits, because they say the county would be violating state law in doing so.
During a June 10 public hearing regarding concealed carry in Winnebago County, speakers overwhelmingly favored such legislation. from the July 16-22, 2008, issue

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