Thursday, February 24, 2011

Concealed Carry in IL?

My heart hopes yes, my head says no.

I would like it because:

  1. It takes police a few minutes (on a good day) to arrive after you call 911.
  2. I live in a large-ish city where shootings/robberies aren't uncommon.
  3. The day we moved out of our old apartment a man was shot in the face and killed in our building, followed by a shootout with police.  (This is actually why I started getting into guns and got my FOID card.)
  4. Now that I'm married, I feel the need to protect my wife and our property.

I don't think it will happen because:

  1. Governor Quinn is governor solely because he won in Chicago.  The republican candidate seriously won like every other district in the state.  Chicago is all he has to please.
  2. See number 1.
Illinois politics are all kinds of eff'd up and I won't go into the details.  There are bills in the House and Senate that would allow Concealed Carry but unless they get a certain amount of votes to overcome a veto, I'll still be dreaming. 

As I said my purpose isn't to go into the details of the politics, but rather to get your opinion.  If you live in IL, would you carry if allowed?  If you live in another state (except WI), do you carry?  If you would/do, why?  If you wouldn't/don't, why not?

8 comments:

Z@X said...

Yes, I would carry.

However, the only way Illinois politicians will ever pass concealed carry is if we "bribe" them. Seriously, money talks, and if Illinois politicians can generate some tangible revenue via outrageously high permit fees, they will pass it.

Mark said...

Which is messed up but I would do it.

I also didn't think to put this in the post but even if they passed some kind of constitutional carry where we didn't have any requirements to carry (never gonna happen in IL) I'd still have to take a few courses before I would feel comfortable enough to carry.
I also don't have a problem registering any gun I carry and having it "fingerprinted" because I know I'm not gonna use it illegally and if its stolen I would report it immediately. Whatever it takes to be able to defend me and mine.

Clif said...

Keep dreaming man.

If they offered a concealed carry permit, i'd probably get one. Not sure if I would actually use it that much, probably only occasionally.

Having something under the bed is good enough for me right now.

Mark said...

Same here Clif, I don't think my company would allow me to carry at work and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a gun in my car so I'd probably only carry on the weekends.

Jay said...

Maybe you should move to the south?
On a serious note, I don't carry myself, but have a close friend and a brother-in-law that are both packin'. My friend, I trust, he's in the military and has some serious training. My bro-in-law, I don't trust.
That being said, the nature of some of the folks carrying scare the hell out of me. I know everybody has to go through a safety course and a background check, but we have a lot of thugs without criminal records packin' in Memphis... By the way Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. We're usually dukin' it out with Baltimore and Detroit for the title of "murder capitol."
I don't live in the 'burbs... I actually live in the city (but not the 'hood- just close to it) and I really don't worry that much. I have a gun at home, but I don't think you can ever be 100% safe even if you're carrying. I think people should have the right to carry, but I've seen plenty of news stories about gun carrying gone wrong too.
By the way, you're a big dude, I think it would be a pretty brave criminal to mess with you... armed or not.

Mark said...

Jay- Not even to the south. I could move anywhere in the US (WI is instituting CCW soon) and be able to carry. The thugs are gonna carry regardless, it'd only be fair to even the playing field.

I see you point about noone being totally safe even when carrying but it is a huge deterrent.

I am a big dude. I've never gotten into a fight or hit someone in anger, i think BECAUSE I'm a big dude. Bullets don't give a damn how big you are tho, you know?

Rory @ R-Dub Outdoors said...

Wow I didn't know some states don't allow you to carry even with a CPL. I carry everywhere even IL. But I am law enforcement andunder the patriot act I can carry anywhere in the US except airports and federal court houses. I carry becuase I would never bring a knife to a knife fight. It is my duty at all time to be ready to deal with any kind of threat. O ya did I mention it's your right as an American.

Mark said...

You certainly should have the right to protect and defend yourself and family. We have concealed carry here in SC, but I've never gotten a permit. Never really felt like I needed it, but I keep a few things around for home defense.