In Illinois, More Concealed Carry Applications on First Day than Obamacare Enrollees in First Two Months

Fox Chicago reports that more than 11,000 people have signed up for concealed carry permits in the first day of the online application process:

 Illinois officials say they've received more than 11,000 applications for concealed carry permits. 

The online application system to apply for permits was officially launched in Illinois on Sunday. On Monday, Illinois State Police said they had received 4,525 applications for concealed carry permits were received within 24 hours. The other 6,500 applications came from firearms instructors who the state let apply early for permits to help test the functionality of the online application system.

By comparison, in the first two months of Obamacare exchange online availability, only 7,000 Illinoisans had enrolled in the exchange.

After becoming the last state in the country to allow concealed carry, citizens of Illinois are ready to exercise their second amendment rights.

 Crossposted here, here, and here.

Urge Illinois Legislators to Support the Second Amendment

In addition to pension reform, the Illinois legislature is debating gun legislation this week. In mid December, a court of appeals struck down a ban on concealed carry of guns in the state, giving the state 180 days to pass concealed carry legislation.  Just a couple weeks ago, the appeals court denied Attorney General Lisa Madigan's request to re-hear the case. The Illinois state legislature has a several bills being discussed in committee including bills requiring gun owners to have liability insurance , bans on specific types of guns, and legislation delineating specific reasonable requirements for training and licensing among a host of  other bills.  The Illinois State Rifle Association has a page with links to each of these pieces of legislation, the status of the bill, and their stance on  these  bills.  Please see here for more information.

 The National Rifle Association shares this caution with the legislative approach currently being taken by 2nd amendment opponents:

[This week], the Illinois House will consider extreme anti-gun legislation that will ban commonly owned semi automatic firearms and standard capacity magazines. The particular language will most likely be attached on the House floor as amendments to shell bills, so no language is currently available. While under a federal court order to pass a state Right-to-Carry law, anti-gun Chicago politicians continue to play games with your right to self-defense. Rather than working on measures to reduce violent crime, they continue to play politics and attack the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Economist John Lott Jr. warns that the legislation being proposed, at least with the amendments discussed last week, would be "the most restrictive concealed hand gun law in the country", as the amendments' vague language essentially prohibit guns from being carried almost anywhere.  As an example, one amendment prohibits concealed carry on college campus, not even allowing individual campuses to make that decision themselves. This is in spite of the fact that campuses that allow concealed carry showed a reduction in crime following implementation of such policies.

 Also this week is the extremely timely Illinois Gun Owners Lobby (IGOLD) Day in Springfield on Wednesday, March 6th. For information about the day's scheduling and transportation options to Springfield, please see here. Please contact your legislators and ask them to uphold their oath of office in supporting the 2nd amendment. Contact information for Illinois state representatives can be found here and state senators here. The right to bear/bare arms in Illinois should not apply only to Michelle Obama's fashion choices.

Crossposted from Illinois4Palin.

Stand for the Second Amendment in the Land of Lincoln!: Updated

In writing his "Commonplace Book", Thomas Jefferson quoted the Italian philosopher and legal scholar Cesare Beecaria's book Of Crime and Punishments: 

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one."

Beccaria very well could have been describing present day Illinois where gun control often means the law abiding are punished for the actions of those who will continue to break gun laws no matter how numerous or restrictive. Despite having some of the most onerous gun laws in the country and currently being the only state in the union without some form of conceal and carry laws, Illinois' largest city of Chicago had more than 500 homicides in 2012. Gun control is not evil control. In mid December the US Court of Appeals declared Illinois' ban on concealed carry unconstitutional and gave the state 180 days to craft " a new gun law that will impose reasonable limitations, consistent with the public safety and the Second Amendment as interpreted in this opinion, on the carrying of guns in public". For anti-gun proponents of Illinois, this judicially imposed deadline,the Chicago violence, the ineffably saddening shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and a lame duck legislative session have provided the impetus to simultaneously meet the court's demands while also restricting guns in new ways. With the lame duck session ending on January 9th, the Illinois legislature is trying to ram through two pieces of legislation that would heavily restrict guns. The NRA's Institute of Legislative Action notes several aspects of these bills that are particularly draconian:

Among other things, House Bill 815 would: 

- Prohibit anyone without a FOID card from using a commercial shooting range, which in many cases would make it impossible to introduce new shooters to the safe and responsible use of firearms. 

- Grant the State Police broad discretion to impose design, construction and operation standards that could shut down most commercial shooting ranges. 

- Ban possession of magazines and other feeding devices that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. A "grandfather clause" would require registration by owners of such devices and give the State Police discretion to impose and charge fees. Registration would require "proof of ownership" that could be impossible for most people to provide, and even registered owners could not transfer magazines within Illinois, except to an heir or a licensed dealer. Transfers of "grandfathered magazines" would have to be reported to the ISP. 

- Violations of this magazine ban would be a felony. Failure to report theft or loss of a magazine would be a misdemeanor until the third violation, which would be a felony. 

House Bill 1263 would: 

- Ban, at a minimum, all detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles and pistols. Remington 7400 deer rifles, Ruger 10/22 squirrel guns, Glocks, 1911s, etc. This ban would include about 80% of handguns now sold in the U.S. 

- Possibly ban all semi-automatic rifles and even revolvers or single-shot pistols with the capacity to accept muzzle brakes or compensators. 

- Ban "assault weapon attachments," so possession of a thumbhole stock, a pistol grip,or a fore-end (a "shroud" that "partially or completely encircles the barrel") would be a crime even if you didn't possess a firearm. 

- Ban all .50 BMG rifles. 

- Contains "grandfather" provisions that would require registration by owners of devices and give the State Police discretion to impose and charge fees. Registration would require "proof of ownership." 

- Create felony penalties for violation of this ban on guns or attachments. 

- Create lost and stolen penalties that would criminalize victims of gun theft

These bills moved out of the Senate's public health committee on Wednesday, but have not been voted on in the Senate at this point. However,  the Illinois House will discuss an additional gun control bill  (SB 2899) and additional amendments when they reconvene Sunday. These overly restrictive bills do not seem to honor the court's request for "reasonable" legislation. After all, what's reasonable about disallowing citizens the opportunity to learn how to use a gun safely at a gun range? Your voice can make a difference. Use your first amendment rights to re-affirm your support for the second. Please call or email your representatives to voice your support for the second amendment and your opposition for even more government impingement on our liberties. You can find contact information for your representative here.  As this legislation is being discussed in Springfield and national legislation is being proposed as well, exercising the right to bear arms in Illinois shouldn't only refer to Michelle Obama's right to wear sleeveless dresses!

Crossposted from Illinois4Palin.

Update: Per Illinois House GOP this Sunday afternoon, the Judiciary Committee will not discuss gun control legislation the remainder of this lame duck session, making such legislation dead for this legislative session.