Last night's Town Hall Meeting in Champaign

[Ol'Coach]

In Today's C/U N-G:

Headlined:

 

Event makes pitch for concealed carry law

Bill would requre application process through county sheriff, taining sessions

 

My link

 

Group seeking support for state law allowing concealed-carry in Illinois

20100712-211043-pic-162953964.jpg

Photo by: John Dixon/The News-Gazette

 

Participants in an Illinois right to carry town hall meeting sign up for a newsletter and register for the Illinois State Rifle Association at the Hawthorn Suites hotel in Champaign on Monday.

Tue, 07/13/2010 - 7:00am | Tim Mitchell Contact Author

 

CHAMPAIGN – Valinda Rowe of Carmi said she got a gun after a man with mental illness began sending death threat letters to her family and began killing small animals and hanging them around her home.

 

"It made me passionate about the right to protect myself," Rowe said.

 

Gene Martin, 74, of Champaign says he would feel safer walking his dog at area parks if he could carry a gun for protection.

 

"If I can't have a firearm to defend myself, what am I going to do?" Martin said.

 

Rowe and Martin were among 130 people who turned out at the Hawthorn Suites in Champaign on Monday night for a town hall meeting on legislation allowing people to carry concealed guns.

 

Event organizer Scott Bowyer of Hume said the purpose of the meeting was to provide information and inspire people to work to pass state legislation that would allow adults with training and a license to carry concealed firearms to protect themselves.

 

"We want to send a message to Illinois lawmakers that the residents of Illinois are serious about restoring their rights," Bowyer said.

 

Bowyer said 48 states (all but Illinois and Wisconsin) have some sort of concealed carry law.

 

"What is completely legal and normal in most of the country is considered a felony here in Illinois," Bowyer said.

 

Rowe said she owns a Florida concealed carry license that is recognized in 30 states.

 

"When I'm in those states, I can carry a loaded firearm on my person or in my vehicle to protect myself," Rowe said. "But when I come home, I have to unload it and enclose it in a case and render myself a potential victim."

 

Douglas County Sheriff Charlie McGrew said he believes the Constitution and Bill of Rights already provide gun rights.

 

"I raised my right hand to swear to uphold the Constitution of the USA, and to me the right to bear arms is a constitutional right," McGrew said.

 

Under the proposed legislation – HB6249, sponsored by state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion – the applicant for a concealed carry license would go to the county sheriff and fill out an application form and undergo training for safe gun handling, liability and the use of deadly force.

 

Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn told the participants at Monday's town meeting training would include both classroom work and hands-on work.

 

"The training should be sufficient and adequate to know that a person licensed to carry a concealed weapon is a safe person," Hartshorn said.

 

The sheriff's office would complete a background check on the applicant and send the application to the state police, which would issue the license.

 

Bowyer said the license would last for five years, with additional gun safety training required before renewal.

 

Hartshorn said the Illinois Sheriff's Association voted to support the proposed legislation.

 

Mike Weisman, first vice president of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said he believes all society benefits if criminals think their victims are potentially armed.

 

State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Charleston, said he supports the bill.

 

"Illinois needs to do the right thing and recognize that properly qualified people should have the right to carry firearms," Righter said.

 

Senator Frerichs was in attendance and was acknowledged. I believe he got an earful!

 

Great job, Drylock!

[oneshot]

Good thing! I sent him an email a couple of months ago asking him to help spearhead an effort to bring CCW to Illinois. His reply stated that he was committed to fighting anti-gun laws in Springfield, to which I replied that I was glad for this but that we need more than that, we need pro-gun bills to be forwarded, especially CCW. He (or whoever does his mail) didn't reply to that one.

[Ol'Coach]

The sheriff of Douglas County made a good point. He stated very emphatically that he supports concealed carry; however, current law is what it is and he will uphold the law...if a person is stopped while carrying illegally, that person will be arrested.

[Buzzard]

Great job, Drylock! One hundred and thirty is a good attendance figure. And I know you and others worked diligently to get those people in the seats. And getting a Senator to attend is quite a feat. Their schedules are usually full. What is Senator Frerichs' stance on RTC?

 

I have a question regarding HB6249. The news story states:

"Bowyer said the license would last for five years, with additional gun safety training required before renewal."

 

Is that a misquote on the reporters part? The text of HB6249 states:

 

Section 55. Renewal of permit.

(a) The permit shall be renewed for a qualified applicant

upon receipt of the properly completed renewal application and

required renewal fee. The renewal application shall contain the

same required information as set forth in paragraphs (i)

through (ix) of Section 30, except that in lieu of the firearm

education and use of deadly force training, the applicant need

only demonstrate previous issuance of and continued

eligibility for a concealed firearms permit.

[papa]

I was wondering about that line myself. Why would you need to take additional training just to renew the license?

[Federal Farmer]

Great job, Drylock! One hundred and thirty is a good attendance figure. And I know you and others worked diligently to get those people in the seats. And getting a Senator to attend is quite a feat. Their schedules are usually full. What is Senator Frerichs' stance on RTC?

 

I have a question regarding HB6249. The news story states:

"Bowyer said the license would last for five years, with additional gun safety training required before renewal."

 

Is that a misquote on the reporters part? The text of HB6249 states:

 

Section 55. Renewal of permit.

(a) The permit shall be renewed for a qualified applicant

upon receipt of the properly completed renewal application and

required renewal fee. The renewal application shall contain the

same required information as set forth in paragraphs (i)

through (ix) of Section 30, except that in lieu of the firearm

education and use of deadly force training, the applicant need

only demonstrate previous issuance of and continued

eligibility for a concealed firearms permit.

 

One of the Sheriffs said something about maybe that kind of clause would be appropriate, but only what is in a specific bill matters.

[Drylok]

Great job, Drylock! One hundred and thirty is a good attendance figure. And I know you and others worked diligently to get those people in the seats. And getting a Senator to attend is quite a feat. Their schedules are usually full. What is Senator Frerichs' stance on RTC?

 

I have a question regarding HB6249. The news story states:

"Bowyer said the license would last for five years, with additional gun safety training required before renewal."

 

Is that a misquote on the reporters part? The text of HB6249 states:

 

Section 55. Renewal of permit.

(a) The permit shall be renewed for a qualified applicant

upon receipt of the properly completed renewal application and

required renewal fee. The renewal application shall contain the

same required information as set forth in paragraphs (i)

through (ix) of Section 30, except that in lieu of the firearm

education and use of deadly force training, the applicant need

only demonstrate previous issuance of and continued

eligibility for a concealed firearms permit.

Ya I shouldn't have given him a specific bill number since there's several LTC bills that are in a variety of combinations. I did think though that one of them would require training at the end of the 5 years. Anywho, I'll remember that for the next go around. I need to learn how to answer those questions in a broadly, specific way I can

[Tvandermyde]

we have been fighting requal on the renewals for years.

 

We won't give in unless there is something really sweet for us

[Buzzard]

Great job, Drylock! One hundred and thirty is a good attendance figure. And I know you and others worked diligently to get those people in the seats. And getting a Senator to attend is quite a feat. Their schedules are usually full. What is Senator Frerichs' stance on RTC?

 

I have a question regarding HB6249. The news story states:

"Bowyer said the license would last for five years, with additional gun safety training required before renewal."

 

Is that a misquote on the reporters part? The text of HB6249 states:

 

Section 55. Renewal of permit.

(a) The permit shall be renewed for a qualified applicant

upon receipt of the properly completed renewal application and

required renewal fee. The renewal application shall contain the

same required information as set forth in paragraphs (i)

through (ix) of Section 30, except that in lieu of the firearm

education and use of deadly force training, the applicant need

only demonstrate previous issuance of and continued

eligibility for a concealed firearms permit.

Ya I shouldn't have given him a specific bill number since there's several LTC bills that are in a variety of combinations. I did think though that one of them would require training at the end of the 5 years. Anywho, I'll remember that for the next go around.

I wouldn't worry about it, as any mention that RTC bills contain strict requirements is actually a plus, in my opinion. The uninformed public needs to be assured that concealed carry permits will ONLY be issued after a background check and the required training and not be issued to people that shouldn't have them. There is a lot of uninformed people out there and a lot of misinformation being spouted by people that haven't done any fact checking. That's what we're up against and unfortunately, we can't drag them into these meetings to educate them.

[templar223]

Nice job!

 

Nice job, Mr. Bowyer, Mr. Weisman, Mr. & Mrs. Rowe and Mr. Martin and all of the others who had a hand in this.

 

Awesome article from the N-G. That coverage was a miracle. Someone did a good job filling that reporter in... and he didn't give it the usual cynical anti-gun tilt either.

 

John

[Drylok]

I'll put a thank you letter to the editor on the list of things to do

[race2c]

Again, great job Drylock. You deserve a great round of applause.

 

It was great finally getting to put some names with faces through the site. This was the first time, I have had the chance to make a RTC townhall meeting due to college, work, yadda yadda. I am going to try and make the Bloomington RTC as well. The drive from Mt. Zion, Illinois, was well worth the trip.

 

In reference to Senator Frerichs, I sat right in front of him, actually had to ask another IllinoisCarry member who he was. I was very displeased with his attitudes and actions through the whole townhall meeting. I understand as a senator, you are required to do a lot of appearances for which you don't want to be at, but at least make it as if you are somewhat coherent of your current place. All through the speeches, powerpoints, etc, Senator Frerichs was playing with his iPhone. This shows very little care about, or at least to me it does.

[Buzzard]

So is Senator Frerichs pro gun? Has he got any kind of voting record? Where does he stand on RTC?

[oneshot]

So is Senator Frerichs pro gun? Has he got any kind of voting record? Where does he stand on RTC?

 

This is the reply he sent me...

 

Josh,

 

Thank you for your concern. I appreciate your commitment to the 2nd

amendment. As you may or may not know, I, too, am a staunch supporter of gun

rights and consistently vote against bills designed to limit and/or

eliminate a citizen's right to own a gun.

 

Your freedom is incredibly important to me, and I am honored to

protect it in Springfield. I continuously work to prevent any sort of

infringement on your right to bear arms.

 

Once again, thank you and please continue to contact my office with

any other questions or comments your may have.

 

Sincerely,

Mike

[Drylok]

The longer I look back on it the happier I am about how things went. Not the size of crowd I'd hoped for but the KIND of crowd we had outwieghs the numbers as I am begining to see it now. The number of ladies, the number of LEOs, a federal marshal, two senators and a couple canidates running for office. A sizeable donation to ISRA from a lady who is a newcomer to firearms and doesn't even have a foid yet. A lead for some more exposure in a state wide publication.

A very upfront, unbias article with no spin on it from the largest news paper in the area. Lots of phone calls and comments and or questions from folks out and about yesturday and today who read that article.

Yes, twas a good night!

 

Where we going next?

[BigJim]

Bill would requre application process through county sheriff, taining sessions

Would the county sheriff be required to accept the application if the applicant passed the background check or could a county sheriff simply say "No, you can't have a permit because I don't want you to have one."?

[Don Gwinn]

Don't forget the "Federal Flight Deck Officer!" That guy was well-spoken, too.

[abolt243]

Bill would requre application process through county sheriff, taining sessions

Would the county sheriff be required to accept the application if the applicant passed the background check or could a county sheriff simply say "No, you can't have a permit because I don't want you to have one."?

 

 

All bills that have been proposed recently have been "shall issue". We're well aware of the issues with "may issue" such as was the case in Iowa until recently. Many of the bills do give the Sheriff a chance to challenge the applicant, but it must be for specific reasons, in writing, and there is an appeal process for the applicant if he/she chooses. No different than most other state's laws. The RTC license is not left to the discretion of the Sheriff.

 

AB

[Buzzard]

Bill would requre application process through county sheriff, taining sessions

Would the county sheriff be required to accept the application if the applicant passed the background check or could a county sheriff simply say "No, you can't have a permit because I don't want you to have one."?

You didn't specify a certain bill number, so it would depend on the language within the particular bill. If it's a "shall issue" bill, if you meet all the the requirements within the language of the bill and don't have charges pending, I don't see how they could refuse you. If there is a recent history of disturbance calls to your place of residence, that could cause some difficulty.

[SFC Stu]

Bill would requre application process through county sheriff, taining sessions

Would the county sheriff be required to accept the application if the applicant passed the background check or could a county sheriff simply say "No, you can't have a permit because I don't want you to have one."?

 

 

All bills that have been proposed recently have been "shall issue". We're well aware of the issues with "may issue" such as was the case in Iowa until recently. Many of the bills do give the Sheriff a chance to challenge the applicant, but it must be for specific reasons, in writing, and there is an appeal process for the applicant if he/she chooses. No different than most other state's laws. The RTC license is not left to the discretion of the Sheriff.

 

AB

 

ABolt is correct. Illinois does not want the mess that Iowa had for 100 years! If a government does not trust the citizens, replace the government!

[Drylok]

Champaign News Gazette Letter To Editor, July 15

 

Painfully aware of the evils of a standing army our founding fathers put the second amendment in place to give the people power to regulate the government militia. (Read you Blackstone and the surroundig amendments)

 

Its purpose is to give us the means to secure our rights against government intrusion, not to turn the convenience stores into some letter-day OK Coral. I am therefore, opposed to legalizing the carrying of conceared weapons.

 

I have no doubt that in spite of all their training mandating they would draw their guns only under the direst of circumstances, human nature will manifest itslef and chaos will prevail. People who would would never otherwise assert themselves will become self righteous vigilanties looking for the slightest excuse to wield their newly legistated courage.

 

Minor confrontations will be resolved by the showing of weapons, more heated ones by the drawing of them. once drawn, they will panic and begin ducking about like scared little girls, spraying blindly in the direction of the object of their affliction. Civilian casualties will mount, and there will be a resounding public outcry to ban the private ownership of firearms.

 

But, then again, that is what the politicians planned in the first place. What better way to dispose of such an inconvenient right of the great unwashed?

 

As for any effect oncrime, keep in mind criminals can get tough too. They will begin indiscriminately killin anyone who might be carrying a gun to assure the success of their enterpirse-and adding those guns to their collection.

That's what they do;it's in their job description.

 

Karen G. Cheesman

Sherrard

[abolt243]

Yep, lots of folks that carry are getting killed in the states that recognize rights. This lady needs to google "concealed carry" and do a little research before she writes an LTE and exposes her ignorance to the world.

 

Do you suppose that if I mailed a copy of "Gun Facts" to Karen Cheesman @ Sherrard that she'd get it? Do you suppose that she'd read it??

 

Probably no to number 2

 

UAB

 

Just looked it up. Sherrard is in Mercer County, western part of the state just south of the Quad Cities, pop of 694 folks. Seems kinda' odd that she would be that "anti-carry". I may just try the "copy of Gun Facts in the mail" ploy with an Illinois Carry card attached. We'll see what comes of it.

[burningspear]

Try:

 

KAREN G CHESSMAN

143 FYRE LAKE DR

SHERRARD, IL 61281

[abolt243]

Try:

 

KAREN G CHESSMAN

143 FYRE LAKE DR

SHERRARD, IL 61281

 

I believe I shall!

 

AB

[Drylok]

Here's my favorite part......

"Minor confrontations will be resolved by the showing of weapons, more heated ones by the drawing of them. once drawn, they will panic and begin ducking about like scared little girls, spraying blindly in the direction of the object of their affliction. Civilian casualties will mount, and there will be a resounding public outcry to ban the private ownership of firearms"

 

I wonder if she has spent any time in IN far less than an hour E of her

[Buzzard]

Was this LTE from Ms. Karen G. Cheesman a result of reading about the Town Hall Meeting? I wonder if Ms. Cheesman took the time to attend the meeting? Of course she didn't. Instead she let her imagination guide her as she predicts that a concealed carry law would create a post-apocalyptic world where rivers of blood would run in the streets.

 

This woman has seen too many Mad Max movies.