Published: January 25, 2008 11:07 am            

Reader: Why won't the state allow us to protect ourselves?

Editor:

Did you know that an Illinois resident that meets the background requirements and is employed at a full—time occupation in Indiana may apply for, and receive a personal protection weapons permit in that state, but they cannot get a permit issued in Illinois? There are 48 states that issue law-abiding citizens a personal protection permit. Only two states do not: Wisconsin and Illinois.

There is a bill in committee, HB 1304, that for whatever reason, can’t seem to get to the floor for a vote. It would seem that some legislators cannot, or will not listen to the voice of citizens and represent the people of the state in Springfield, as they should, but rather echo the personal anti-gun bias of Chicago Mayor Richard Daly and Governor Blagojevich.

Arguments against allowing law-abiding citizens to carry a weapon for self protection ring hollow when compared to hard statistics. Laws are supposedly passed for the good of society, or so we are told, but I have yet to hear anything but pure rhetoric on how trampling citizen rights to own, carry and use firearms for personal protection has solved any problem with crime. The proof just isn’t there. Since the state of Michigan passed a “shall issue” law in 2000, crime rates have fallen. According to a Detroit Free Press story published Jan. 6, 2008, Michigan now has more than 155,000 residents (about one in 65) licensed to carry a loaded firearm. Michigan’s nanny-state supporters, like those here in Illinois, objected to the law, saying that giving people more freedom to exercise their Second Amendment rights would “obviously” produce a flood of violence. Hundreds of people, they assured, would die in shootouts on highways, city streets and businesses.

Instead, the exact opposite occurred. As permits have gone up, shootings have gone down and so has violent crime. In fact, the FBI reported Jan. 8, 2008, that violent crime in Detroit fell a surprising 12 percent in the first sixth months of 2007. This came despite a terrible economy that caused one university criminologist to predict a crime increase. The same results have been reported for years in almost all of the other states that have concealed-carry firearm permits.

So, one might ask, how does Illinois allow its citizens to protect themselves? For women, the Illinois State Police suggests they carry a nail file, rat-tailed comb or use car keys to ward off an attacker. (I’m sure that method would work equally well for disabled persons or the aged.) They toss aside their own training that tells an officer to keep a three foot distance between them and a suspect. Ask yourself, what chance of physical protection does any woman with a nail file have against a 200 pound male attacker? The ISP has no answer to address the issue of two or more criminals attacking a citizen. Not to be outdone, the Park District police in the state capital are handing out free emergency whistles people can use to call for help if they're attacked. This “aggressive defense” move comes after a 48-year-old woman was attacked while jogging in Springfield's Washington Park. She fought off her attacker but to date, no one has been arrested. The plastic whistles come in bright yellow, red, blue or green. Park District Police Chief George Judd says he hopes potential attackers “see the whistles and are scared off.” Isn’t it comforting to know that the governor and Illinois lawmakers are so concerned about our safety that they have adopted such credible self defense measures on our behalf?

This lack of common sense and accountability on the part of the legislature and the governor would be humorous, if it weren’t for all the lives being lost or completely ruined by their hard headed and irresponsible behavior. Every day, law-abiding Illinois citizens are raped, murdered, mugged, stabbed, robbed, shot and beaten with no realistic means to protect themselves or their loved ones from a growing criminal element. Illinois needs to get its head out of 1960’s utopia-land and come to the realization that criminals do not care one iota about what comes out of Springfield or the governor’s office. Passing ridiculous feel-good gun laws does not accomplish anything except infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens, making criminal activity all the easier. The Illinois State Constitution, Bill of Rights, Article 1, Section 22 states: “Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” (Notice it states “individual”) That simply means that unless a citizen is under arrest or incarcerated, they have a right — not a privilege — but a right to purchase and keep arms and a right to bear those arms; meaning carry and use them. What part of “infringe” or “unconstitutional” does the governor and the legislature not understand?

The governor and our lawmakers have all taken an oath to uphold and defend the State and U.S. Constitution. They are supposed to be dedicated to serving the people who have elected them. To date, they have done everything but that with regards to our rights to protect ourselves, our families and property. They stand in violation of their oath of office by enacting unconstitutional legislation, choosing to impose their own personal views as law, infringing on the rights of the citizens of Illinois. It is time to do away with this antiquated anti-gun nonsense, join the Union with the other 48 states and pass HB1304 as a personal protection weapon “shall issue” permit application process in Illinois.

Michael L. Hadfield

Elizabethtown

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.