Right to carry group hosting candidate forum in Lakemoor

Political candidates from various races in Lake and McHenry counties have been invited to give their views on the right to carry a firearm issue as part of a forum this week.

The McHenry County Right to Carry Association is hosting the event from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30 at the Lakemoor Banquet Hall, Route 120 and Darrell Road.

The not-for-profit group says the goal of the forum is to give voters a clear idea where the candidates stand, in hopes of getting some legislative punch behind the campaign to allow Illinois residents to carry guns.

"This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. Our stand is, whoever you're going to (vote) for not only supports the right to carry, but would work to make that happen," said Lou Rofrano, a Spring Grove resident and president of the group. "In Illinois, there is currently no path for law abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense."

Eight candidates - including those running for state representative and senate, sheriff, county board, and U.S. Congress - are confirmed for the forum, Rofrano said. A representative for gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady is also scheduled to attend.

The group, established last January, joins other local chapters in the collar counties that are advancing the issue. It hosted a well-attended town hall meeting in January, holds monthly meetings, and has manned informational booths at events such as the McHenry County Fair.

Supporters say Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states that prohibit individuals from carrying concealed weapons, and that citizens here deserve the same right to self-protection as allowed, to varying degrees and with varying regulation, in 48 other states.

Rofrano said the quest is not for the "gun aficionado" but regular people, especially women.

"When people understand the average person in the population may be armed, they're a lot more reticent to attack people," he said. "The reality is the criminals are going to have guns."

Anti-gun groups dispute the arguments that allowing the right to carry a weapon reduces violent crime.

"The thought of more guns on the street is not the answer to gun violence," said Mark Walsh, director of the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Walsh noted research by the Violence Policy Center showing that since May 2007, concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least 189 individuals, including nine law enforcement officers in 26 states.

"Unfortunately, in a lot of instances, just because you have a gun doesn't make you safer," Walsh said, noting the recent shooting deaths of Chicago police officers.

"These people are trained and they had their guns on them. To me, it's a flawed argument."