Posted on 08/22/2012 6:12:24 AM PDT by marktwain
We were tipped off by John Boch at Guns Save Life that there’s a small rebellion brewing among downstate Illinois state’s attorneys over the right to bear arms, something that – unlike any other state in the union – is illegal. myfoxchicago.com is reporting that Mike Valentine, Edwards County state’s attorney (who’s also happens to be in a reelection fight), confirms that he won’t prosecute any lawful gun owners found carrying a gat. Interesting how the prospect of losing your job focuses the mind, isn’t it? But Edwards county’s a sparsely populated rural tract in the state’s southeast corner, about a hundred miles east of St. Louis. McLean county, on the other hand . .
.…is smack dab in the middle of the Land o’ Lincoln and includes the Bloomington/Normal area along with the University of Illinois. About 170,000 people live there. According to gunssavelife.com:
McLean County State’s Attorney Ron Dozier is set to announce publicly today, Monday, August 2o, to the media and residents of McLean County, Illinois, his decision not to prosecute Firearm Owner Identification Card holders who are arrested for merely possessing a concealed weapon in violation of Illinois’ prohibition on law-abiding residents carrying the means with which to protect themselves.In essence, with Dozier’s decision, gun owners may be able to use their FOID card as a de facto carry permit in that county.
That’d be a whole ‘nother kettle of fish. And one that’s a lot closer to Chicago than Edwards County. Dozier announced he won’t be running for reelection. But as the sun rises in the east, gun controllers in the County of Cook are, well, see for yourself :
“What if somebody walks into a soccer game and they have a Tek-9 pistol? Are they gonna do something or are they gonna say there’s basically nothing they can do about it?” Senator Dan Kotowski asked.“Higher law enforcement officials should look into it. I think the attorney general should look into this.”
Except as a spox for AG Lisa Madigan pointed out, state’s attorneys don’t report to anyone in Springfield. They’re locally elected and have wide latitude in deciding what cases to prosecute.
State rep La Shawn Ford can see which way the wind is blowing, though, and has a compromise he’s like to see adopted:
He’s proposed a trade-off: enact a ban on so-called assault weapons, while granting each county the power to make its own decision about carrying concealed handguns.“I think that each county, because of the differences, should decide on their own. Yes.”
That AWB talk might rankle, but if a change along these lines were made it would constitute a tectonic shift in the most g-unfriendly state in the nation. Of course, Ford’s proposal would require action in Springfield, something that’s always in short supply – except when it comes to raising the benighted state’s taxes. So don’t hold your breath, La Shawn.
I think we need an allied invasion of Chicago. Free downstate Illinois can cover the south, Michigan can storm the beaches, Wisconsin can cover the north, Iowa can cover the west flank and Missouri can back up Iowa and Free downstate Illinois.
I am not a gun owner and don’t live in Ill BUT i do know the Constitution and know we have the right to bear arms and that right shall not be infringed upon
what exactly did the state of ILL lege pass that this Attorney is ignoring?
As a resident of Illinois, I would be happy if Chicago and the surrounding counties would become the 51st state. Illinois illustrates well the tyranny and corruption of a densly populated blue region over a much larger and vastly more conservative countryside. It’s like the downstaters are a fiefdom that has to pay both monetarily and socially for the allowances and largesse of the Chicago overlord.
Carrying a concealed firearm in IL is a felony. It was upgraded from a misdemeanor about 5 years ago IIRC. There is no provision in Illinois law for a private citizen to carry a firearm either concealed or openly anywhere in the State. It is quite possibly the most repressive law in the United States.
Aw geez, not another surge of refugees from Illinois. It's almost Labor Day. Where I live we're looking forward to watching the F.I.S.H. close up their summer cabins and head south again. Do we have to let them back in?
Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding...
Shall not be infringed.
The time for playing "nice" is officially over. They will kill you to prevent you from exercising your freedoms. It seems to me that we should give serious consideration to returning the favor...
wow
and the citizens have not voted out the idiots who passed that?
maybe this will start them realizing they don’t have to let that stand
thanks for the explanation
What's even more interesting is that in downstate Ill, with this State Attorney, why would they agree to it to begin with. They can own one of those evil assault rifle (I take it that they aren't banned, just regulated from the article), as well as CC with a FOID card. What's to negotiate?
I think we need an allied invasion of Chicago. Free downstate Illinois can cover the south, Michigan can storm the beaches, Wisconsin can cover the north, Iowa can cover the west flank and Missouri can back up Iowa and Free downstate Illinois.
and I was born and raised there!
We’ll meet at the top of the tower where full control will be handed over to Free Downstate Illinois.
LOL! Well, senator, apparently Chicago doesn't do anything about it now!
As with most liberals, his "compromises" are asymmetrical. The ban on assault weapons would be statewide, uniform, and without question an increase in restrictiveness. OTOH, while the flexibility in the home rule provision might be a good thing, the effects are far from uniform. The best you can get is live in a good county and indeed get a trade-off. If you live in a bad county ALL the news is bad. Typical lib "compromise".
The state is controlled by the red beast of the northeast - Chicago. Because of its massive voter rolls of trough-slurping minorities and limosine liberal whites, Cook County runs the show. Too many downstate folks - elderly Democrats who think Harry Truman is still president - give them a boost by robotically voting “D” in every election. Between the communists and the duped rural Dems, freedom is an endangered animal in the Land of Lincoln - if not already extinct. But this article gives me hope!
I was born in Shitville (aka Chicago) and raised in the south suburbs. Fortunately, after a few job changes, I ended up in Knoxville, TN, where I’ve resided for the last 25 years and have legally packed heat since 1995 when TN adopted shall issue CCW. I truly feel sorry for you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.