* There have been a rash of stories lately about various bills introduced to tweak or greatly modify the state’s new concealed carry law, which isn’t even fully operational yet. I’ve mostly been ignoring them.
Rep. Phelps is spot on…
State Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, who was chief sponsor of the legislation that created the new concealed carry rules, said it’s too early for either side to be making changes.
“Everybody needs to take a deep breath,” [Phelps] said. “This is monumental legislation. Let’s let it go into effect and see what it’s like before we try to change it.
“I really believe that neither pro-gun nor anti-gun bills are going to see any movement in the legislature right now.”
Keep that in mind when you read the almost non-stop stories about how one legislator wants to enact more concealed carry restrictions or another legislator wants to loosen some restrictions. It’s all for show. Ain’t none of them moving very far unless they have an agreed bill.
*** UPDATE *** And while it pains me to say it, the same goes for medical marijuana…
State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said the state has to prove it can handle medical marijuana first after it was enacted last year.
“I would prefer to wait, just to make sure this rolls out correctly,” Lang said, after the huge tax revenues brought in by Colorado with the new year reignited the debate over legalization last week. “If this doesn’t roll out right, there’s no way full legalization is going to roll out.
“There will be some who want to jump the gun and propose it,” Lang added. “And there are some proposing a middle ground, where we don’t legalize it, necessarily, but we decriminalize it and make it a small misdemeanor. So there are a lot of different ideas out there.”
- RNUG - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 12:39 pm:
Like you, I’ve been ignoring the stories in the press.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:05 pm:
Bound to happen. Play to your peeps.
I’m sure supporters of the current law are pleased by the miniscule number of objections to permits filed by law enforcement.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:12 pm:
We’ve been told for so long that the world would end if this was enacted, we now have a whole lot of stupid to sweep up without making either side look bad.
Just do it. Join the rest of the country and stop the nonsense.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:16 pm:
Of course it a miniscule number of objections. You have to have a FOID before you can even apply. So in effect the State has already screened people. Many of the people who have been rejected will be reinstated by the review board as well. Reading the forums it is apparent Tom Dart is NOT following the law and objecting to people who meet the statute just to make a political point. Like one would expect from a IL politician.
- John Boch - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:19 pm:
Spot on, Rich.
That and Mr. Madigan, I’m told, said he wanted to let things settle out for a year or two before tweaking the CCW bill.
As much as I’d like to make some changes sooner rather than later, I think he’s right on.
John
- downstate commissioner - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:21 pm:
In this case, the press is the problem-someone says something about some change to the law and it makes a headline. I am sure that most of legislators in office don’t even want to hear about cc changes at this point….
- wordslinger - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:24 pm:
–Reading the forums it is apparent Tom Dart is NOT following the law and objecting to people who meet the statute just to make a political point. Like one would expect from a IL politician.–
240 objections out of 8,722 applications? Not much of a point.
- Spliff - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:42 pm:
Yet Phelps filed HB 5446.
- Smoggie - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 1:58 pm:
Vanilla, keep in mind that a lot of that stupidity is coming from the pro-gun side.
From their comments, you would think that IL banned guns last year, rather than allowed CC.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 2:44 pm:
Please.
When a state government goes out of its way to deny its citizens their US Constitutional Rights enjoyed by citizens living in the rest of the United States, those leading the fight to regain their rights shouldn’t be considered stupid.
Not on this US Constitutional Right, or any other.
You might not like that Right, but don’t use fantasy arguments proven dead wrong in the other 49 states to kill that Right.
That would be pretty stupid.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 3:09 pm:
@VM:
I would probably re-state @Smoggie’s comments to include the loony toon contingents present on both sides of the debate and would probably label a lot of their rhetoric as stupid. Some people go completely off of their rockers when it comes to guns.
And enough with the “other 49 states” argument. If those other 49 states jumped off of a bridge should we do it too just because they did? The “everybody else is doing it” argument is weak. Stick with the good arguments. There are plenty. Using the “everybody else does it argument” is silly.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 3:25 pm:
–And enough with the “other 49 states” argument.–
It is, and always has been, meaningless.
It’s much easier now to get a c-c permit in Illinois now than many of those “other 49 states,”
Try getting one in New Jersey. Or Maryland. Or NY. Or Cali. Or Massachusetts. Or Hawaii.
The “other 49 states”: talk remains Fox News willful ignorance. Some people are cool with that.
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 3:44 pm:
Medical marijuana is complicated and can be screwed-up.
Full legalization is comparatively simple.
You notice how legislators are a bottomless pit of excuses for “going slowly” on progressive agenda.
But when it comes to handing out tax breaks for CME or rate increases for ComEd that stuff moves quickly.
- FormerParatrooper - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 4:36 pm:
Medical marijuana I think, I may be wrong, is just a step to legalization. A lot of eyes are on Colorado and Washington. Once the taxation issue is figured out I don’t see a big leap to other States following. It does appeal to my libertarian side, but I have personal doubts about the merits of legalization.
Ccw is now law. Which does not appeal to my libertarian side. I have issue with proving yourself innocent in a society where innocence is supposed to be presumed. In our case in Illinois, the FOID act was supposed to keep firearms from the criminal class. The fact a FOID is required to apply for ccw, any one who is denied ccw points to failure in the FOID process.
We have a year to see which takes on the most applicants, which is presumed to increase, or decrease crime, and which is
- FormerParatrooper - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 4:38 pm:
Embraced by the most people. Sorry about added post, using a mobile and the say it button got hit.
- MrJM - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 5:11 pm:
“I would prefer to wait, just to make sure this rolls out correctly,”
Here is a handy video that will help the uncertain roll correctly: http://youtu.be/fc3qMysfJjc
– MrJM
- Todd - Thursday, Feb 13, 14 @ 5:36 pm:
Word, it just got eaiser in Cali today check out the 9th Circuit ruling knocking out their just cause requirement