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| Reaction to Failure of Concealed Carry Legislation |
(IRN)-With the failure of the concealed carry bill in the Illinois House Thursday, some proponents of the bill are surprised.
Edgar County Sheriff Edward Motley is a Vietnam War veteran who worked as a warden in Philadelphia and with the Department of Corrections in Indiana before being elected as the first African American sheriff in his county last November. Motley watched the concealed carry debate Thursday from the gallery of the Illinois House.
"I was surprised, but hopefully it will come back again," said Motley. "I mean 49 [actually 48] states have it. Why is it that Illinois cannot pass it? Did all the votes come out of the Chicago area? I mean you know how that goes with Chicago. We're Downstate, and I just, I'm surprised."
Motley, who carries a concealed weapon himself from time to time, says he likes being able to protect himself and his family with a gun. "And I believe others should be able to do the same," he said. "We go back to the criminal, again, they don't have to pass any tests or anything. They just go off and buy some weapon and start shooting at you. I mean that's not right. And most people who want to carry, they're not going to be carrying all the time."
Meanwhile, National Rifle Association spokesman and lobbyist Todd Vandermyde says he wasn't surprised by Chicago's push to kill the concealed carry measure.
"The city of Chicago pulled out all the stops and twisted tails and broke arms and there are people in this building who have a job with the county, have a job with the city when they're back home, and there were some heavy-handed tactics," said Vandermyde. "But we expect that."
While the bill, H.B. 148, failed this time around, a parliamentary maneuver will keep it alive for another vote if the sponsor believes he can add support.
Vandermyde says he has some work to do as he and the NRA try to figure out what they can do to pick up the extra votes needed to get the 71 vote supermajority the bill requires.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 05 06 11 by Newsroom |
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