Posted on 11/16/2011 5:20:04 AM PST by marktwain
A proposal to circumvent Illinois’ ban on carrying concealed weapons failed in the rules committee of the U.S. House Monday night.
U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, and four other Illinois Republicans offered an amendment to the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act that is scheduled to be voted on by the full House on Tuesday.
The amendment would supersede Illinois’ ban on carrying concealed weapons by allowing Illinoisans to obtain a concealed-carry permit in another state — provided that state’s background checks and safety-training requirements are met — and use the permit in Illinois.
But the rules committee rejected the amendment. There was not a roll call vote, said Phil Bloomer, a spokesman for Johnson.
Today’s Washington Times reported that the National Rifle Association, which supports the reciprocity bill, was opposed to the amendment offered by Johnson and four other Illinois Republicans, Reps. Aaron Schock, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger and Bobby Schilling.
“We want a clean bill,” said NRA spokeswoman Rachel Parsons, according to the Times.
“A lot of people saw (the amendment) as a complication that could gum up the works,” Bloomer said.
Johnson has long been a supporter of gun rights, including concealed-carry laws.
“This amendment guarantees that law-abiding citizens of Illinois and (the District of Columbia) can obtain a (carrying concealed weapons permit) from another state and use that permit in the state of Illinois or D.C.,” Johnson wrote in a letter to colleagues.
But one of Johnson’s congressional opponents as well as the director of the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said the amendment was politically motivated.
“While I support concealed carry, I think it’s the job of the Illinois Legislature to bring it to fruition. I don’t think it’s something the federal government should impose on Illinois,” said David Gill, a Bloomington physician seeking the Democratic nomination in the 13th Congressional District. “It sounds like Mr. Johnson and I agree on the issue. But in his desperate attempt to overcome a 20-point deficit in this new congressional district, he’s attempting to pander to voters by making promises he can’t get through Congress.”
Mark Walsh, head of the Chicago-based anti-gun group, said concealed carry is a state’s rights issue, and that Johnson and the other Illinois Republicans are pushing the measure to energize their base.
“The fact that it failed in the Illinois General Assembly and now all of a sudden five congressmen with serious races ahead of them are trying to appeal to their conservative base by going this way I think really flies in the face of state’s rights,” Walsh said. “All along we’ve been hearing that Illinois would be exempt from the national reciprocity as long as there was no concealed-carry law here. Then all of a sudden it looks as though they’re trying to appeal to their conservative base. I don’t think it’s good public policy.”
Illinois and the District of Columbia are the only jurisdictions in the United States that prohibit people from carrying concealed weapons. A ban on concealed carry in Wisconsin ended earlier this month.
“Illinois is the only state in the union that doesn’t permit its citizens to carry firearms. I can’t dictate to the state Legislature what they do. But this bill excludes Illinois from the national reciprocity. I think that’s a violation of our rights and privileges as Illinois citizens,” Johnson said Monday. “I think this would be a lot more consistent, a lot more uniform and a lot more effective to have Illinois included.”
A second Democrat running in the 13th District said he had not read Johnson’s legislation.
“I’m a hunter and a Second Amendment proponent. I believe the Second Amendment provides a constitutional right to bear arms and I would defend that in Congress,” said Greene County State’s Attorney Matt Goetten. “I have not read Congressman Johnson’s amendment, so I can’t comment specifically on that.”
In his letter to colleagues, Johnson noted that some may view the amendment as an infringement on state’s rights.
“(H)owever, the 14th Amendment explicitly protects against infringement of all rights in the Constitution,” he wrote. “Indeed, Congress has even passed a law that allows former law-enforcement agents to have CCW. Why can these citizens be allowed to guard their home, person or family while the remaining law-abiding citizens of Illinois cannot?”
Johnson said that since 1991, 23 states have adopted some form of concealed carry and that violent crime has dropped 23 percent.
He also said that four states — Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming — have “constitutional carry” designations, meaning anyone can carry a weapon, openly or concealed, without a permit or license. Thirty-seven states have “shall-issue” laws, meaning certain criteria must be met. Eight states, including California, New York, Massachusetts and other East Coast states have “may-issue” laws, meaning that people may get a license from local authorities.
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