WGN Chicago Reports Pro-CCW Poll Results

How odd . . . WGN in Chicago put a poll on CCW in Illinois on their website.

Well, OK, that's not odd.

The poll ran for about a day (actually, it's still running, apparently until midnight central time) and, last time I checked, was running 77% "yes" on CCW and 23% "no."

You're right, that's not odd either . . . but I'm getting to it.

The odd part is that WGN news reported these results on the 9:00 news broadcast. They didn't even attach a sarcastic editorial about how dumb their viewers are. The words "cowboy," "swagger," "tragedy," "hidden guns" and "blood in the streets" were conspicuous by their absence. I have to admit, I'm not sure what to make of this. Earlier in the same broadcast, they discussed the CCW bills in the legislature and mentioned the Sheriffs' Association's resolution in favor. Illinois is beginning to have a different feel politically on this issue, even if all the other issues are depressingly consistent.

Overheard in a Kitchen

"I can't believe the comics page today. Even Family Circus was funny. I mean, I didn't laugh out loud or anything, but I wasn't angry at myself for reading it. See?"

"HA! That's pretty good."

"The thing is, I'm compelled to read the whole thing. It's like I'm punishing myself; I hate me, so now I'm going to read Mary Worth. And you'd better stay on my good side, or I'll read it to you."

(Brandishing rolling pin)
"I DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS!"

"That was awesome."

"Did I make blog today?"

"Yes. Yes, you did."

Just Some Blogger Calling for Illinois Concealed Carry . . . .

. . . . except that this blogger is an opinion columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Steve Chapman has never exactly been hostile to gun owners, but this is still a step forward.

Illinois should allow concealed handguns

If you're in a minority of 48 to 2 on an issue, you may be seeing truths that other people miss. Or you may be refusing to admit reality. In the case of Illinois' refusal to allow citizens to get permits to carry concealed handguns, it's the latter. It's the only state but Wisconsin that doesn't allow it. But there is a glimmer of hope of change: The Illinois Sheriffs' Association has endorsed a law to afford Illinoisans this type of protection.

Do I need to say "RTWT"? OK, then, go read the whole thing.

IL Sheriffs Association Resolution in Favor of CCW

Just for the record, and so I can find it when I want it:

Illinois Sheriffs’ Association
RESOLUTION 2009-1

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association is a statewide organization representing the one hundred and two Sheriffs of Illinois who are constitutional officers who have sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States and the State of Illinois; and

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association conducted a survey of Sheriffs across Illinois; and,

Whereas, ninety percent (90%) of those responding support concealed carry in Illinois if adequate training and safeguards are included; and,

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Legislative Committee met on November 19, 2008, and appointed a special committee consisting of Sheriffs from all geographic areas of the state and that committee has met and discussed the specific recommendations for the procedures in obtaining a concealed carry permit; and;

Whereas, the committee has formulated their recommendations to the Executive Board of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Executive Board has recommended that this resolution be presented to the full body at our General Session on Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at the Winter Training Conference in Moline, Illinois; and,

Whereas, the general provisions of a conceal carry act in Illinois should include the following:

1. Permits should be issued by a state agency to insure consistency in evaluation and screening.
2. Individuals who receive a concealed carry permit should receive adequate training including basic knowledge of firearms, the proper handling of a firearm, live fire exercises for range qualification, instruction and testing on use of force as a citizen including the liability of that use.
3. Applications should be processed by the Sheriff’s office including the ability of the Sheriff to articulate specified reasons why the permit should be denied and those objections should be considered by the state before issuing a permit.
4. For the purpose of officer safety, a concealed carry permit should be an identifiable code, background or other means to show that an individual has been issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm on the person’s driver’s license, FOID card and state identification.

Therefore, be it resolved, this 3rd day of February, 2009, that the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, by a majority of those voting, support the right of law abiding citizens to possess and carry a concealed firearm for the purpose of protecting their life and families; and be it further resolved that a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the General Assembly of the State of Illinois.

Freakin' sweet. And yes, I know some of their conditions above look onerous to some of us, but hey, folks, we're already negotiating for the "right" to purchase a license in order to exercise a Constitutional right. This is still major progress in Illinois.

We're The Only Ones Pleasantly Surprising You Enough

Police in Illinois take a lot of flak.

They're stuck enforcing the law in a place where a lot of the laws stink on ice. And a significant number of them work in the Chicago metro area, a place even worse than Illinois when it comes to stupid laws. All this is true . . . . but:

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association has come out in favor of concealed carry in Illinois.

Why? Well, there could be a few reasons. Here are a few I think are most likely:

• 48 other states have some form of legal concealed carry. Some of them have a form that's practically indistinguishable from our "no way, no how" system, but most are shall-issue, including most of our neighbors. Of Illinois' neighboring states, Iowa is may-issue, Wisconsin is as weird as us, and Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana are all shall-issue states. It's working for them. It would work for us.
• Sheriffs, unlike Chiefs of police, have to stand for election. That means they have to think about what the voters want.
• Sheriffs, unlike Chiefs of police, do not have to get appointed to their positions by Mayors. That means they don't have to suck up to weasels.
• Sheriffs, unlike Chiefs of Police, are not represented in Illinois by an organization bought and paid for by the Joyce Foundation. I'm just sayin', is all.
• Last and most, the Sheriffs Association has been talking to some very forward-thinking Illinois gun-rights lobbyists from the ISRA and IllinoisCarry. I'm not going to name names here because I'd probably leave someone out, but these people are pulling the freight for gun owners in Illinois.
  

Good Boy!

Goooood groundhog . . . . hat tip to Ambiguous Ambiguae, who titled his email "Marmots Good Judges of Character."

Indeed. In other news, no one in central Illinois needs a rodent to figure out that winter's not over at the beginning of February.

Super Sunday

_____I heard there was a football game today, but as I understand it, the Bears weren't playing in it. I fail to see the appeal, frankly. I went ice fishing with my dad and my sons instead. Today was what I call "Ice Fishing Spring Training." It happens at the end of a cold snap; there's good, thick ice, but the temperature has risen and it's a pleasant day out there. It was supposed to get up to 40-some degrees today, and when the sun was out, I think it was warmer than that. Although I wore my insulated deep-freeze boots, a couple of good warm shirts and a warm hat, I didn't need my coat or gloves until the sun went behind the clouds. I think I might actually have picked up a very slight sunburn on my neck. That's a strange feeling when you're standing on ice; I haven't been ice fishing in years, but I recall it as a hobby involving insulated overalls, thick gloves, and grim determination.
_____It was a good thing dad was there, too. If he hadn't been, I probably would have gone home without doing any fishing, because the top of the ice showed long cracks and there was a distinct "pop" when I stepped onto the pond. That's . . . . not a good sound, but it turned out to be nothing. It seems the snow on top of the ice had been melting down the day before, then refrozen during the night, and was now melting again. So what we were walking on was actually a sandwich of frozen layers. The top was the crust of refrozen snow, maybe half an inch to an inch thick. Below that was 2-3 inches of slushy, grainy frozen stuff about halfway between ice and snow. None of that would have held me for a moment! But below those layers was a solid crust of ice almost 8 inches thick. It was perfectly safe and solid footing as long as we stayed away from brush sticking up through the ice. Dad went as far as to stop and drill a hole to check the ice, which convinced me . . . but not Donovan, who remained convinced for some time that we were about to go through the ice at any moment. For my part, if dad says it's safe, that's good enough for me. The man is an ice expert.
_____We were fishing a huge pond surrounded by wooden hills, a place owned by a distant relative out west of town. Things started out slowly, but soon we were pulling fish out of the dark, watery holes every few minutes. Kane loves ice fishing, and he's good at it, which makes sense; he struggles with casting, but on the ice, there's no casting to be done. He has a hard time seeing his line or a bobber out on the water, but on the ice, he can just lower his baited jig straight down over a brushpile or a small rock reef and wait for the bite. Donovan had a much harder time; he was just not setting the hook, and he was soon convinced that he had never caught a fish and never would. The poor kid was just looking for an excuse to be depressed. Dad came to the rescue again in the end, just as he often does; he hooked a bluegill and handed the pole to Donovan to reel him in. This he did without a smile or any indication that he was happy to be doing it, but he did it, so when I next found myself with a small bass on my hook, I called Donovan over and let him reel mine in, too. We did this a few times, and it was almost as if Donovan had only needed the practice. Maybe that was it, after all--maybe he just needed to get used to the feel of a live fish on the line. Whatever the reason, he perked up, started setting the hook with more authority, and began to catch fish. By the time we were ready to leave, he had a respectable pile of bluegill and crappie at his feet and a smile on his face.
_____By about 3:00 we were ready to go. We were nearly out of hot chocolate, the sun had gone back into hiding, the temperature was dropping, and we intended to follow Rule 6: Always get off the pond early enough to clean and fry the fish for dinner! This we did with alacrity and aplomb, and a fine dinner was had by all.