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A Year of Triumphs and Near Triumphs!


Molly B.

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2011 - A Year of Triumphs and Near Triumphs!

 

• A major triumph – IllinoisCarry, the ISRA, and NRA joined forces to produce an all new Right to Carry

bill for Illinois. This bill was voted on in the House on May 5, 2011, the first such vote in decades! In

a near triumph, we fell just 6 votes short of the needed super-majority of 72! The narrow miss can be blamed

directly on Gov. Quinn and the city of Chicago who pulled out all the stops in the final days before the vote

to campaign against the measure. The bill, HB148, was put on postponed consideration and can be recalled

for another vote between now and Jan. 2013. All supporters are working tirelessly to secure the needed

handful of votes.< /li>

 

• A major triumph - the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in Ezell vs Chicago. The court ruled the

Second Amendment must be given the same measure of respect as the First Amendment, accused Chicago of

thumbing its nose at the U.S. Supreme Court, and basically instructed the city to get their act together in

regards to the individual right to keep and bear arms.

 

• A major triumph - the barrier against Right to Carry is beginning to crack in the city of Chicago and

Cook County. Elected officials are actually beginning to consider Right to Carry and are even hosting their

own town hall meetings on the issue. This is new ground and could be just the break we need to garner the

support needed to pass HB148. We feel this movement is due in large part to a group of dedicated

IllinoisCarry, Second Amendment Sisters, ISRA and NRA members in Chicago’s black community. They have

worked very hard on this issue holding several town hall meetings comprised of local Chicago folks. Our hats

are off to these fine folks for their hard work and determination.

 

• A major triumph, two lawsuits were filed challenging the ban on the Right to Carry for personal

protection. IllinoisCarry is honored to be a plaintiff in the Second Amendment Foundation’s lawsuit Moore

vs Madigan and the ISRA is spearheading a lawsuit with our feisty friend Mary Shepard. A favorable ruling

from either of the court cases could expedite Right to Carry in Illinois.

 

• IllinoisCarry spokesperson, Valinda Rowe, was awarded the prestigious Grass Roots Activist of the

Year by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. This national recognition reflects the

diligence and commitment to excellence our organization has come to represent.

 

• We have held many, many town hall meetings from one end of the state to the other, printed mountains

of fliers, and marched in parades. We have helped turn Right to Carry into a topic of conversation all over

the state. We have seen legislators, who once laughed at the notion of Right to Carry, attending these

meetings and even conducting their own town hall meetings to discuss the issue.

 

• IllinoisCarry members have been regular contributors to newspaper, radio and TV programs all over the

state, but most importantly inside the city of Chicago. They have testified in committees, met with

legislators, marched on the capitol, gone to court, raised funds, produced videos and a host of other

activities. All this from a grassroots, all volunteer organization that owns no equipment or property!

 

• IllinoisCarry membership has grown tremendously in this past year, over 600 new members were added to

our roster. That’s 600 more voices dedicated to being heard, and hopefully 600 more members to add to the

nearly 7,000 who will attend IGOLD on Mar. 7, 2012. Our Illinois-specific web site is heavily trafficked by

thousands of the most dedicated and involved members and elected officials in the state. This is the result

of a lot of people doing a lot of work and doing it right!

 

• We are ready to start our Winter Tour 2012 of Town Hall Meetings in an effort to gain the handful of

votes we need to pass Right to Carry. We don’t need all the legislators to vote for the bill, just enough of

them.

 

There was a time when talking to legislators about right to carry they would laugh at us…WELL, THEY AREN’T

LAUGHING NOW – now they are asking “How can I help”?!

 

A very special thank you to Barry Bourdage and the folks at Techpro for hosting the IllinoisCarry website.

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Molly, A BIG THANK YOU! to you, Don , Todd and all those who not only are at the forefront of this fight who have helped to produce these triumphs but also to all those behind the scenes who have silently did what needed to be done. May God bless you and them in the coming year. May many more of us get into the fight. John
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