Illinois gun-owners rally in Springfield, but misfire in committees
Gun owners lobby in Springfield
(Update, 3 p.m.: The scene outside the Governor’s office. The statue on the left is of the late Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, whose son and successor is the Illinois gun lobby’s chief nemesis.)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Hundreds of Illinois gun-owners descended on the state Capitol today, lobbying for the right to carry concealed handguns. They wore yellow caps and t-shirts with the emblem IGOLD (Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day), many with the Second Amendment printed on the back.
It was an impressive show of strength. But where it matters - in the legislative committees - they’re losing ground.
Pro-gun lawmakers and lobbyists in recent weeks have predicted this could be the year that Illinois joins 48 other states (including Missouri) that allow “concealed-carry.” The National Rifle Association and others have been pretty fired up about it, and anti-gun folks have been rallying their own troops for what they’ve believed could be a real showdown. (Read our earlier story here.)
The first skirmish so far, though, hasn’t gone well for the pro-fun folks. A state Senate committee last night voted down one concealed-carry bill (SB1976), with Chicago Democrats leading the way. And today, a House committee passed an anti-gun bill that would limit gun purchases to one a month (HB12), a measure backed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who has made gun control a central goal of his administration - and who has lots of friends in Springfield these days.
Neither issue is yet settled, and an NRA lobbyist stopped by our office a little while ago to assure us that they’ve not yet begun to fight. We’ll see.
Understandably, Chicago politicians don’t want citizens to have guns, the politicians don’t want any competition in criminal activity.