Is that a gun in your pocket or…

All 50 states have now passed laws allowing their citizens to legally carry concealed firearms in public. Illinois was the last state to legalize it and that’s only because it was ordered by the federal appeals courts to do so by July 9, 2013 (including a 30-day extension) at which time the Illinois legislature approved concealed carry to begin no later than January 2014 after over-riding a Gov. Quinn veto who had sought amended legislation to impose a plethora of restrictions.

Chicago (our backyard) is becoming one of the most dangerous cities on this planet and conceal and carry was allegedly against the law. There is a war going on in the city. The number of American fatalities in Cook County outpace those in Afghanistan and Iraq. Adam Serwer from Mother Jones disagrees with those statistics because they compare raw numbers and civilian murders in Chicago to combat fatalities of soldiers in an international war.

Now there are differing opinions on concealed carry in Illinois. There are those who feel the new law will increase public risk for more crime and accidental shootings. Some feel like it gives them a way to protect themselves and their families in life threatening circumstances when the appropriate public safety first responders are not available. Most probably agree that guns should never be the solution to any crisis. Those who disagree probably have access to one.

Who are the statistics? In Chicago’s street war those killed by gunfire are overwhelmingly black American males.

Twenty-nine homicides have been reported in Chicago from July 1 through July 14, 2013. Forty-nine homicides were recorded in July 2012. The victims…

1. July 14 – Blake Lamb, a 22 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Rogers Park.
2. July 14 – Ernest Carter, a 35 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in North Lawndale.
3. July 14 – Joseph Brewer, Jr., a 16 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in South Deering.
4. July 13 – Fernando Sanchez, a 25 year old white male, caused by a gunshot in Humboldt Park.
5. July 12 – Gizzell Ford, a 8 year old black female, caused by a strangulation in Austin.
6. July 12 – Tommie Bates, a 24 year old black male, caused by a stabbing in Austin.
7. July 12 – Jeremy Morris, a 25 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in South Shore.
8. July 11 – Darryl Green, a 17 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in West Englewood.
9. July 11 – Jeremiah Brown, a 27 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Chicago Lawn.
10. July 10 – Marlon Young, a 39 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Auburn Gresham.
11. July 8 – Marquise Chandler, a 20 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in West Garfield Park.
12. July 8 – Georgina Randell, a 30 year old black female, caused by a gunshot in North Lawndale.
13. July 8 – Ed Cooper, a 15 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Humboldt Park.
14. July 7 – Ramone Godfrey, a 19 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in New City.
15. July 7 – Patricia Martin, a 40 year old black female, caused by an assault in Roseland.
16. July 6 – Terry Patterson, a 48 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in East Garfield Park.
17. July 6 – Jerimiah Milsap, a 24 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Near West Side.
18. July 5 – Shavonte Howard, a 20 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Gage Park.
19. July 5 – Aurelia Wilborn, a 64 year old unknown female, caused by a stabbing in Roseland.
20. July 5 – Elliott Frazier, a 26 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Rogers Park.
21. July 4 – Marlon Obanner, a 31 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in West Englewood.
22. July 4 – Steve Mabins, a 21 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in East Garfield Park.
23. July 4 – Theodis Young, a 36 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Greater Grand Crossing.
24. July 3 – Ernest McMullen, a 26 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Woodlawn.
25. July 3 – Rayford Brown, a 24 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in South Shore.
26. July 3 – William Jones, a 26 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Auburn Gresham.
27. July 3 – Damani Henard, a 14 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Austin.
28. July 2 – Ashley Hardmon, a 19 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Austin.
29. July 2 – Terrence Graves, a 23 year old black male, caused by a gunshot in Washington Heights.

Might the two party partisans break from their left and right wing bickering to notice there are an alarming number of black American males dying in the line of fire in the former congressional stomping grounds of the sitting President?

If not perhaps the Illinois General Assembly considers striking language contained in both the Cullerton and the Madigan pension reform bills’ that says even public safety must be cut before retirement checks are.

Where are those jobs?

Federal law
Gun Control Act of 1968

The Gun Control Act passed by Congress in 1968 lists felons, illegal aliens, and other codified persons as prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. During the application process for concealed carry states carry out thorough background checks to prevent these individuals from obtaining permits. Additionally the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act created an FBI maintained system in 1994 for instantly checking the backgrounds of potential firearms buyers in an effort to prevent these individuals from obtaining weapons.

Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act

In 2004, the United States Congress enacted the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, 18 U.S. Code 926B and 926C. This federal law allows two classes of persons – the “qualified law enforcement officer” and the “qualified retired law enforcement officer” – to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States, regardless of any state or local law to the contrary, with certain exceptions.
Federal Gun Free School Zones Act

The Federal Gun Free School Zone Act limits where a person may legally carry a firearm. It does this by making it generally unlawful for an armed citizen to be within 1000 feet (extending out from the property lines) of a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a K-12 school. Although a State-issued carry permit may exempt a person from this restriction in the State that physically issued their permit, it does not exempt them in other States which recognize their permit under reciprocity agreements made with the issuing State. The law’s failure to provide adequate protection to LEOSA qualified officers, licensed concealed carry permit holders, and other armed citizens, is an issue that the United States Congress so far has not addressed.

More concealed carry considerations.

• The law requires gun owners to go through 16 hours of training and go through a background check in order to get a concealed carry permit. That permit will cost around $150.
• Gun owners won’t be able to carry their firearms on trains, buses, parks, schools – including universities – and bars.
• The bill doesn’t remove any current gun bans, those are still in place, but you will be able to carry in towns where those bans exist if you have your conceal carry permit.