Gun rights activists in St. Charles tell supporters to get political
Proponents of "right to carry" gun laws met in St. Charles Thursday night to discuss how to advance their cause.
Several speakers said the only way to get it done is for individuals to get intimately involved in the political process, to overcome the opposition of Chicago and Cook County legislators, who mostly oppose the measure.
"It is great you are here tonight, but what are you going to do?" asked Lou Rofrano, of McHenrycarry.com. He told the 150 or so in the audience that beyond voting for pro-carry candidates, they need to give money and volunteer for those candidates' campaigns.
"You don't do those three things, they do not get elected," he said.
The groups want Illinois to join other states in allowing residents to carry guns on their persons, including the ability to conceal them. Under present law, a gun must be unloaded and placed in a case when carried anywhere other than the owner's residence, property or permanent place of business.
There are exceptions for certain people, such as active and retired police officers, locksmiths, security guards and others.
There are pro-carry bills before the Illinois House.
Valinda Rowe of IllinoisCarry.com, which sponsored the meeting, noted it's not about partisan politics.
"In many cases, it is not a Democrat-Republican issue," she said, noting concealed-carry laws have been sponsored by downstate Democrats and opposed by northern Illinois Republicans.
Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez, a Democrat running for re-election, said he favors concealed-carry. He obtained a permit when he lived in California, after drug-dealing criminals shot up a martial arts studio he owned while trying to kill rivals in an adjacent hotel.
The Illinois Sheriffs Association supports concealed-carry, he said.
"I understand the value. It meant a lot to me," he said. Perez also noted the large geographical area his deputies have to patrol, and the reduced number of deputies due to budget problems unlike police in cities like Aurora, they don't have back-up instantly available. Should a trained, licensed civilian with a gun help prevent a crime, "were going to be happy to see you," he said.
However, several audience members disagreed with Perez when he suggested that driver's licenses or license plates should identify that the owners are licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
Rowe drew laughs in making her point about how women should be able to carry a gun for self-defense, describing advice given on the Illinois State Police Web site for handling an assault. It advises scratching an attacker with car keys or a rat-tail hair comb, or making yourself vomit to repel them (she handed out tongue depressors with the Illinoiscarry.com label, calling them a "tactical self-defense weapon.")
"If these are so effective, why do we not see them in the Illinois State Police' holsters?" she said, holding up a comb and keys.
Most of the crowd, when asked by a speaker, identified themselves as favorable to the cause or belonging to groups including the National Rifle Association. About eight people raised hands when asked if they were new to the cause or undecided.
Elected officials in the crowd included state Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora, a Republican running for re-election, as well as several Batavia and Geneva aldermen. NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde pointed out Lauzen is friendly to the cause.