Concealed carry hearing one-sided

Concealed carry hearing one-sided

If you want to see unfair politics and heavy handedness, just go to a concealed carry hearing in Chicago.

I attended the hearing on Feb. 22 and thought it looked more like a Soviet show trial than a forum for hearing both sides of an issue.

The “hearing” lasted 3 ½ hours. A steady stream of anti-gun rhetoric containing zero facts, figures and based solely on conjecture and wild scenarios ensued. Witnesses were given five minutes to testify. Out of close to 20 anti-Second Amendment witnesses, only one pro-civil rights witness was called. I was signed in to testify, but never got called.

When CTA President Forrest Claypool testified that he thought allowing citizens to exercise their God-given rights on the CTA should not be allowed, his reasoning was based on pure conjecture. He thought it might lead to problems. No facts, no figures and no anecdotes were given.

When NRA Spokesman Todd Vandermyde was finally called as a witness, he was given five minutes to speak and did indeed rebut very effectively some of the misinformation.

But the low point came when Vandermyde was cross-examined by 58th District state Rep. Scott Drury. Up until Drury’s questioning, there was a modicum of civility: not any more. Talk about leading and badgering a witness, Drury asked the loaded question, “Would the NRA support giving more time to enacting concealed carry because Illinois needs to work out some kinks in its FOID system?” Representative Drury then proceeded to hammer Vandermyde, who explained that the state of Illinois has been enjoined by law to enact a carry law by June 9.

Mr. Drury, Illinois has had FOID since 1968. That’s 45 years. Is that enough time to get things ironed out, or do you need, say, another 45 years?

George Nicholas

St. Charles