Why Illinois Businesses Should Allow Concealed Carry

Many Illinois businesses are contemplating whether or not to post the State's "No Concealed Carry" placard on the front door of their establishments.  What should they be researching while coming to this decision?

A few questions and facts...

Do you believe that displaying the placard will stop criminals from entering your establishment with illegal guns?  If you're answer is "no," then you must realize the only people in your establishment with a gun will be bad guys who are happily aware no one else has one!  You might as well name the placard the "Rob Me First!" sign.

In a report published on the Texas Concealed Handgun Association website in 2000 by engineering statistician William Sturdevant, the general public is 5.7 times more likely to be arrested for violent offenses and 13.5 times more likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses, than concealed carry permit holders.

Are you aware that by placing that "No Gun" placard in your window you may be placing your clientele at risk?  When one of your patrons leaves your store, they are ripe for picking by any criminal who sees fit.  The criminal will know that anyone leaving your business heading to the parking lot is unarmed!

Studies by the Department of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and the Congressional Research Services all show that more guns does NOT correlate to more crime.  These same studies suggest just the opposite is true.  The CDC report also finds that  “Studies that directly assessed the effect of actual defensive uses of guns (i.e., incidents in which a gun was ‘used’ by the crime victim in the sense of attacking or threatening an offender) have found consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protective strategies,” the CDC study, is entitled “Priorities For Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence.”

F.B.I. crime stats show that violent crime (including gun violence) has dropped by 50% in the last 20 years, while at the same time guns in the home have risen, as have States that have Concealed Carry.

You might want to go to JustFacts.com under gun control and read up on the unbiased factoids.

And last, but certainly not least...
As a Citizen with a concealed handgun license, I:
• Have no felony convictions.
• Have never been convicted of domestic violence.
• Have no history of mental illness or drug addiction.
• Have passed multiple background checks - including those conducted by the FBI and local constabularies.
• Have passed mandatory training (16 hours - most in the country) which includes both the use of a firearm and the applicable law.

Can you say that about your other customers?

Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly,
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For those who may be thinking of putting up NO GUN signs on their business' here in Illinois...
As a Citizen with a concealed handgun license, I:
• Have no felony convictions.
• Have never been convicted of domestic violence.
• Have no history of mental illness or drug addiction.
• Have passed a background check and have my fingerprints on file with the Authorities.
• Have passed mandatory training in both the use of a firearm and the applicable law.

Can you say that about your other customers?

For those who may be thinking of putting up NO GUN signs on their business' here in Illinois...
As a Citizen with a concealed handgun license, I:
• Have no felony convictions.
• Have never been convicted of domestic violence.
• Have no history of mental illness or drug addiction.
• Have passed a background check and have my fingerprints on file with the Authorities.
• Have passed mandatory training in both the use of a firearm and the applicable law.

Can you say that about your other customers?

Michael Loos8 minutes ago

For those who may be thinking of putting up NO GUN signs on their business' here in Illinois...
As a Citizen with a concealed handgun license, I:
• Have no felony convictions.
• Have never been convicted of domestic violence.
• Have no history of mental illness or drug addiction.
• Have passed a background check and have my fingerprints on file with the Authorities.
• Have passed mandatory training in both the use of a firearm and the applicable law.

Can you say that about your other customers?

Illinois To Begin Sending Out Concealed Carry Licenses

The NRA's Chief Lobbyist Todd Vandermyde, appearing Monday on The Sportsman Channel's, Cam & Co., stated the Illinois State Police would be having a press conference this week to announce "... the first batches of carry permits are going out in the mail."

Finally. 


Here is the link to the show:

Todd Vandermyde appearing on Cam & Co

Stay safe and carry responsibly,
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Illinois State Police Dragging Their Feet on Concealed Carry Permits?

Why must politicians methodically screw with us, your average, law abiding Joe Citizen?

On January 8th, 2014 the Chicago Tribune reported the Illinois State Police had approved and cleared more than 13,000 concealed carry permits.  In the article it states - "The Illinois State Police said Tuesday that it had completed the initial approval of more than 13,000 concealed carry applications, moving residents a step closer to being able to carry loaded firearms in public."  And followed with - "Police officials said 1,749 applications were approved Tuesday, for a total of 13,064. Those applications must now be reviewed by local sheriff’s departments, state’s attorneys, local police and the attorney general’s office, all of which have the power to object to a permit being issued. They have 30 days to complete the process."

I was among those 13,064 with a application number just over 12,000.  I filed on January 5th, the first day allowed, and the application was sent just after midnight.

Now, here is my question.

If my CCL was approved by the state on January 8th and then sent to the local police (County and or Municipal) who must approve or object within 30 days - That means the Illinois State Police should have my approved or rejected CCL application back in their hands no later than February 8th, give or take a day or two.  So why are the Illinois State Police telling us the first permits won't sent be out until the second week of March, at the earliest?  Five to six weeks after they receive the clearance from the local constable's?

What exactly is the hold up?  And why is no one asking?

Illinois Concealed Carry Instructors were allowed to apply for their CCL on December 18th, with the thought the ISP would test their system with the 4500 or so instructors applications.  So in truth, by the time the general public were allowed to apply, those 4500+ applications had already been approved or rejected.  Why havn't any of them received their license yet?

It would seem the very first permit would have been sent out on January 5th and you would like to believe the local police would have taken the first application to arrive on the 5th (or within a day or two) and cleared that first application.  Which means the ISP, in reality, probably had an approved and cleared CCL application back to them by mid January and no one will receive a permit until the middle of March?  Funny how that date is exactly 90 days (the maximum allowed by State Statute) from the original December 18th application date for instructors.

Government wonders why we don't trust them.  Government can't understand our distrust of all things political.  Government doesn't understand that they themselves are a long term disease that can't be cured and they prove that to us on a daily basis.

To the Illinois State Police... shame on you for bending to the will of those politicians who would have you drag your feet on this issue that has been so hard fought by freedom loving citizens everywhere.

Send out the damn Concealed Carry Licenses.  It's the right thing to do.

Stay Safe, Carry Responsibly,
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What Did Our Founding Fathers Think Of The Second Amendment?

Anti-gunners read the Second Amendment and attempt to change the meaning, to twist it and pick at it, to tell us the Founding Fathers never meant for this or for that.  They tell you those men who wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, could not have foreseen what we have now.  I dare any sane and just individual to read these quotes and then defend tearing down the Second Amendment. 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”
― Thomas Jefferson, Complete Jefferson 

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.”
― Noah Webster

"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most
effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason Co-author of the Second Amendment during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788

"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves …"
- Richard Henry Lee
writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788.

"The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them."
- Zachariah Johnson
Elliot's Debates, vol. 3 "The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution."

"… the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms"
Philadelphia Federal Gazette
June 18, 1789, Pg. 2, Col. 2
Article on the Bill of Rights

"And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the Press, or the rights of Conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms; …"
- Samuel Adams
quoted in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1789, "Propositions submitted to the Convention of this State"

"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence … from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurrences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."
- George Washington
First President of the United States

"The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand arms, like laws, discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as property. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside … Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them."
- Thomas Paine

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
- Richard Henry Lee
American Statesman, 1788

"The great object is that every man be armed." and "Everyone who is able may have a gun."
- Patrick Henry
American Patriot

"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"
- Patrick Henry
American Patriot

“The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.”
― Thomas Jefferson

They are trying to take it now... this is the instance, the time, the moment for which the Second Amendment was written.  Stand tall, stand strong.

Stay safe and Carry Responsibly

My new book -Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment, a collection from the New Gunner Journal - is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  If you have any questions about Concealed Carry or are sitting on the fence, this would make a nice gift to learn about the lifestyle and those who live it.

Order now... "Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment"

If You're Going To Write An Opinion Piece On Gun Control, Please, Do Some Research!

Gun control zealots like to believe they have it all figured out, coming to the conclusion the only thing they need is to make an emotional plea for gun control and the rest of the world will follow.  Hell, they've even gone so far as to pay consultants to come up with a "playbook" to help push their agenda! 

Ammoland quotes the "playbook" under a section labeled “Overall Messaging Guidance,” the guide lists as its number one “Key Messaging Principle,” to “[a]lways focus on emotional and value-driven arguments about gun violence, not the political food fight in Washington or wonky statistics.” This is further explained with, “It’s critical that you ground your messaging around gun violence in prevention by making that emotional connection.” Following in this appeal is key principle number two, “Tell stories with images and feelings,” which informs activists that, “Our first task is to draw a vivid portrait and make an emotional connection. We should rely on emotionally powerful language, feelings and images to bring home the terrible impact of gun violence.”

Sound familiar?

This week, Marda Dunsky, wrote an op-ed piece for Aljezeera America titled "Will We Come To Our Senses On Gun Control In 2014? Americans cannot continue framing gun control laws in terms of infringement on their freedom."  Sticking to to the "playbook" she spouted nothing but emotion, telling us about her fear of feeling unsafe and on and on.  But the problem is, she never researched any facts.  Her whole article was nothing but innuendo, accusations and falsities.  Articles like this, rife with mis-information, actually help those that support the Second Amendment.

Here was my rebuttal to Ms. Dunsky's piece...

"Legitimate self-defense has absolutely nothing to do with the criminal misuse of guns." —Gerald Vernon, veteran firearms instructor All this poorly researched article does is prove the case for gun ownership. 1) "...as Baltimore and Newark, among others, continue to struggle with rising rates of gun-related violence and death." Would that be New Jersey and Maryland? Two states with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country already in place? And their violence rate is going up?  I thought your point was less guns less violence? 2) "...In April the Democratic-controlled Senate failed to pass stricter background checks for purchasing guns;" The recent shooter in Maryland passed a background check to buy his shotgun. So, not only did the law requiring a background check fail (a law put in place for this exact scenario), the law against owning an AR-15 style rifle failed (the law was passed because it's thought this would stop these types of shootings.) If you are going to shoot someone, you will find a way. 3) "California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland and New York passed tightened gun-control laws." Really? Could you at least do just a little research? Illinois just became the 50th state to allow Concealed Carry while the courts have thrown out law after law that the City of Chicago had in place. How is that tightened? 4) "As things stand now, almost any of us can find ourselves in a nightmare scenario in almost any public place at almost any time. The statistical probability of that happening is not what matters. What matters is that it can and does routinely happen in the kind of ordinary places that most of us frequent." That's why we carry. The bad guys will always have guns, while the rest of us, if unarmed, will live or die at the whim of the criminal. And as a side note, aren't gun control people always telling us that we have no need for guns because the chance of something happening is infinitesimal? Now you're playing both sides of the same argument. It's one way or the other, you can't have them both. 5) "Moreover, these freedoms are derived from a document written by human beings - and what people have created, people can change, for their own good." No, no they can't. The rights are not given to us by a document, they are given to us at birth. The document (Constitution & Bill of Rights) was put in place to guarantee those rights are never infringed upon. They are ours, endowed by our Creator, God given. They are not yours to give and take away whenever you feel. They are not the majorities to bend and shape to their will. There are limitations (no shouting fire in a crowded theater type stuff) but in the end, No, you can't just vote away our rights. The Second Amendment is in place for exactly this situation - where people who believe they know better, decide for the rest of us what we need. It (and all the other Amendments in the Bill of Rights) protects individual freedoms from repression from the Government and the majority. Period. Please, again, do some research before writing. Just a little. 6) "We are not watching gun carnage unfold in some distant land. It is happening in US schools, on US military bases, at our workplaces." Most school, military bases and many workplaces are gun free zones. Does it ever make you wonder why madmen with guns would commit these criminal atrocities at places where they won't meet anyone with a gun? 7) "It is corrupting our right to be safe in the public space - an existential right that underlies all other freedoms and iterations of American dreams, including economic prosperity." Who told you this was a right?! "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." Nowhere does it say safety. Safety is your personal responsibility. The Government can't provide it, the Supreme Court has ruled they have no responsibility to provide it, nor should you expect it. I refer you to Benjamin Franklin's quote "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." 8) "The price of continuing to watch ourselves from afar, numbed by horror and inaction, is great indeed. The spectre of US gun massacres is taunting us to come to our senses." Yes, we need to come to our senses, but here is a shocker for you... not everyone believes in only one way to attack the issue (GASP!) Did you ever give a moments thought to other outlooks or are you one of those people who believe only their way is the right way and anyone who believes differently is someone who needs your guiding wisdom and gentle hand? A gun is the tool of violence, not the symptom. If you want to reduce violence, you must attack the problem at the source. What are the symptoms? Mentally ill people, illegal drugs, Gangs (FBI report - 2009 - Gangs may be the source of 80% of ALL VIOLENT CRIME - see what a little research can do?) unemployment, lack of education and the fall of the family unit, just to name a few. Heal the symptoms and you heal the violence If you truly believe there is a causality between an inanimate object (guns) and violence, then by that very argument you have no choice but to believe that spoons make people fat. And if you believe that none of the above has its roots in personal responsibility, then honestly, you are lost and beyond help. Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly