For the first time since it was founded in 1928, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association announced its support for a concealed-carry handgun law in Illinois.
The association represents the 102 Illinois sheriffs. The association held its winter training conference at the iWireless Center in Moline that concluded Tuesday.
The association also appointed Henry County Sheriff Gib Cady as its president for 2009. Sheriff Cady has been a strong proponent of concealed-carry in Illinois.
'We are constitutional officers for the people and the people want this,' Sheriff Cady said.
Greg Sullivan, executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association, said the association wanted to weigh in on the issue.
He said there is a strong push from the National Rifle Association to back some type of concealed-carry handgun law in Illinois. The state is one of two (the other is Wisconsin) that has no form of concealed-carry handgun law on the books.
'The association is typically neutral on concealed carry,' Mr. Sullivan said.
Every day, hundreds of Illinois citizens are raped, robbed, murdered, bullied and brutalized by lawless criminals who, thanks to Illinois' ineffective justice system, roam our streets with near impunity. This unfortunate situation is made all the worse by the fact that the Illinois General Assembly refuses to allow law-abiding citizens to carry defensive firearms. In fact, under current Illinois law, citizens who use a defensive firearm to protect self and family from violent crime could spend more time in jail than the thug that attacked them.
The good people of Illinois are sick and tired of having to make the daily choice between becoming a victim of violent crime, or becoming a felon for exercising preparedness. On November 4th, voters in 14 Illinois counties went to the polls to vote on referenda advising the general assembly to pass a concealed carry law. When the votes were counted, 10 of 14 counties had voted in favor of allowing law-abiding citizens to carry defensive firearms.
"The message is clear," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "Illinoisans are weary of living in one of only two states that deny citizens the right to protect themselves and family with the most effective means available - the defensive firearm. We've all heard over and over again this morning that Americans have voted for change. Well, yesterday's referenda votes were all about change as well. It's time for the General Assembly to abandon its mistrust of average citizens and allow them to provide for their own defense."
"The lack of a concealed carry law in Illinois is not for lack of trying," continued Pearson. "Year in and year out, the ISRA and its supporters in the General Assembly have introduced bills to authorize concealed carry. And, year in and year out, House Speaker Michael Madigan has seen to it that those bills never get out of committee. Denying the General Assembly the opportunity to debate the issue does a great disservice to the citizens of Illinois."
"When the next legislative session convenes, yet another concealed carry bill will be introduced," said Pearson. "Hopefully, the success of this week's referenda will prod the Speaker to allow this issue to get the attention it deserves. No government should force citizens to choose between a hospital room and a prison cell."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. Founded in 1903, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
It is with a great deal of honor and pride that the ISRA accepts the 2008 Affiliate of the Year Award from the Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). First awarded 23 years ago, the Affiliate of the Year award is bestowed upon organizations that demonstrate an exemplary dedication to the preservation of Second Amendment rights, and whose actions have helped preserve the freedoms protected by the United States Constitution. Out of hundreds of eligible organizations, the ISRA is the only group to have received this award twice. The ISRA was first recognized as CCRKBA Affiliate of the Year in 1999. This year's award was presented to ISRA President Don Moran and ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson by CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb during the Gun Rights Policy Conference held this past weekend in Phoenix, AZ. "This award comes during an exciting time for the Association," said ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "We've been putting a lot of energy into evolving our mission to meet the changing needs of Illinois' gun-owning community. We'll soon be rolling out new products and services that will allow us to tap into non-traditional and under-served constituencies. On the political front, we'll be stepping up our efforts to hold anti-gun politicians accountable for their attacks on the rights of the law-abiding citizen. We took a good organization and we made it great. With this award, we've taken the next step to national recognition as a pro-gun fighting force." "In accepting the Affiliate of the Year award, I would like to recognize the many dozens of persons who make the ISRA work," continued Pearson. "Nobody is paid, yet they pour every ounce of energy they can muster into making our strategic vision a reality. They give up their weekends to work range duty. They take time out to walk precincts for pro-gun political candidates. They volunteer countless hours to training less experienced shooters in marksmanship and firearm safety. They lend their expertise to the business end of things so that the ISRA may operate efficiently and effectively. As much as I like to stand up and receive awards on behalf of the ISRA, it's the story behind the award that is truly important." The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. Founded in 1903, the ISRA represents the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
The ISRA is urging state hunters, sportsmen and gun owners to vote "NO" this November on a ballot initiative to hold a state constitutional convention. The ISRA believes that holding a constitutional convention would open the door to significant changes in the state constitution and thus imperil the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
"The delegate count in a constitutional convention would certainly be stacked in Chicago's favor," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "Consequently, Mayor Daley would have carte blanche to craft the Illinois Constitution to his liking. Daley has said in the past that, if it were up to him, nobody would be allowed to own a gun. You can bet that if Daley is given the opportunity to meddle with the state constitution, he would seek that end."
"We understand that a lot of law-abiding gun owners feel that a constitutional convention would provide an opportunity to correct deficiencies in Section 22," continued Pearson. "Under ideal circumstances, that opportunity would exist. However, as long as the Chicago Machine is in charge of the process, that just isn't going to happen."
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