Playing fast and loose with your constitutional rights is just business as usual for some politicians in the State of Illinois. As this latest message from the Illinois State Rifle Association makes clear, the Madigans - father and daughter - are just the latest in a long line to do so.
THE MADIGANS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH YOUR FAMILY'S SECURITY
As most readers know by now, the appeals court has directed the Illinois General Assembly to pass a concealed carry bill by June 9th. As might be expected, the leadership of the House and Senate have been employing every trick in the book to avoid complying with the court order.
The first stalling tactic came when Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked for a review of the decision by the full appellate court. The court refused and told the legislature to get back to work and pass a concealed carry law by the deadline.
Once Madigan's request was shot down, it was time for the General Assembly to work its own special brand of magic. Gun grabbers in the House introduced a "concealed carry" bill with a couple of dozen amendments containing foolish restrictions on concealed carry along with unacceptable gun control provisions.
After that came gun-hater Kelly Cassidy's "concealed carry" bill which was so insanely restrictive that it only garnered 31 votes in the House.
A few days after Cassidy's flop, the House voted on the ISRA-supported HB0997 carry bill. Unfortunately, the bill fell a few votes short of the supermajority requirement imposed by House Speaker Mike Madigan. Once again, the security of law-abiding Illinoisans took a back seat to the politics of gun control.
Meanwhile, over in the Senate, anti-gun Sen. Kwame Raoul was crafting a so-called "compromise" concealed carry bill. Under the provisions of this bill, applicants for concealed carry would pretty much have to surrender most of the protections they enjoy under the Bill of Rights. Furthermore, the bill would have given Cook County special powers to deny carry permits, even though the applicant had passed muster with the FBI and Illinois State Police. In other words, average citizens living in Cook County would be denied the right to defend themselves. Of course, it would be a different story for the county sheriff's political supporters.
Just yesterday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that she has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a 30-day extension for filing an appeal of the lower court's requirement that Illinois pass concealed carry. Madigan's latest stunt is purely political as she hopes to push back any action on concealed carry to a time where it becomes an issue in the 2014 elections. In essence, the political interests of the Madigan family trump the security of your family.
At the moment, we are not sure how all this will play out. There are numerous possibilities and, when your action is needed, we will alert you. So, keep an eye on your in-box.
You may rest assured that the ISRA will not waver in its commitment to deliver a "shall issue" carry bill. We will not accept any bill that denies people the right to self defense because of their ZIP Code. We will not accept any requirements that make it impossible for everyday law-abiding citizens to afford the cost of a permit in terms of either time or money. We will not accept any sort of "compromise" bill that bans semiautomatic firearms or limits magazine capacity or any of the other gun control garbage on the grabbers' wish list.
We will not accept any sort of "may issue" carry bill. The ISRA and its fellow litigants in the McDonald and Shepard cases did not go to the expense of trial just to bring home a half a loaf or less. In fact, any politician who votes for a "may issue" carry bill will instantly earn a grade of "F" - regardless of past voting record. Yes, our commitment to your security runs that deep.
In the mean time, here is what you need to do to help ensure that a "shall issue" carry bill passes:
1. Contact both your State Senator and your State Representative. Politely tell the person who answers the phone that you are a law-abiding Illinois gun owner and that you will not accept any "may issue" concealed carry bill or any bill that excludes Cook County or any other jurisdiction. Advise the person that you expect the Senator or Representative to vote for "shall issue" legislation such as that provided for in HB0997.
If you do not know who your State Senator is, the Illinois State Board of Elections has an interactive search page here: www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx
Once you know who your State Senator and State Representative are, you can find their contact info here:
www.ilga.gov/senate/
and here:
www.ilga.gov/house
2. Pass this alert on to your friends and family; ask them to make calls as well.
3. Post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.
Remember - "shall issue" concealed carry will not get passed unless you are prepared to take action. Keep making those calls to your Senators and Representatives!
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