Sangamon County Rifle Association
Right Reason on Second Amendment Rights
Springfield, Illinois

As the Nebraska Legislature has passed a sensible shall-issue concealed-carry law earlier this month, this leaves Illinois and Wisconsin as the only states in the nation that do not have some form of concealed-carry law for its law-abiding citizens. Wisconsin legislators narrowly missed overturning a veto of a concealed-carry law that they had passed, by Governor Jim Doyle, an anti-gun democrat.

If Doyle had considered the issue rationally, he would have signed the bill the first time. He should have read John R. Lott, Jr's book, More Guns Less Crime, which took full account of the FBI's massive yearly crime figures for all 3,054 U.S. counties over eighteen years that show "right to carry" laws and legally concealed handguns currently represent the most cost-effective methods available for reducing violent crimes.

The Chicagoland area tends to have the most restrictive gun-control regulations in the state of Illinois.  Ironically while Chicago would gain the most for a carry bill, it has fought the hardest against one.  Crime rates fall in states with nondiscretionary carry license laws and they fall most dramatically precisely in those urban areas like Chicago that have the highest crime rates, largest and densest populations, and having concentrations of minorities.  This shouldn't be too surprising since law-abiding citizens in these areas must fend for themselves to a great extent for protection.

Women and blacks tend to be the strongest supporters of gun control, yet both gain the most from nondiscretionary concealed handgun laws in terms of reduced crime rates.  Women tend to gain the most as a concealed handgun appears to be the great equalizer among the sexes.

Some say that passage of concealed carry laws would create a "Wild West" atmosphere.  We should be so lucky.  A law-abiding citizen in Dodge City was over ten times less likely to be murdered than he would be in our strictest modern gun control jurisdictions.  While the so-called "Wild West" authorities were as unable as modern authorities to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys, they didn't try to keep them out of the hands of good guys.  Law enforcement didn't waste time going after good guys who made errors in registration forms.  Instead they went after the bad guys and ultimately tamed the west.

As one of the two final holdouts to carry laws in the nation, it is time for Illinois to enter the 21st century, and pass a nondiscretionary carry law that allows law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families.

No victim of crime should be required to surrender his life, health, safety, personal dignity or give up his property to a criminal, nor should a victim be required to retreat in the face of attack.  Just like big-shot politicians like Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich, citizens have a right to expect safety within their own homes or vehicles.