My neighboring state of Illinois has some of the most oppressive gun laws in the nation, however it seems that lately that grassroots activism has been doing an excellent job at keeping Mayor Daley of Chicago and his anti-gun cronies at bay.
The high-profile proposal, aimed at closing what Daley sees as a loophole on private handgun sales, fell only two votes short. The measure would have required people who sell guns privately to first get background checks of potential buyers through licensed dealers.
Two votes. People who think grassroots activism doesn’t work should take a hard look at that – the measure was defeated by two votes, two votes which were likely influenced by the deluge of pro-gun rights emails and letters that the Illinois gun owners had been sending. The RKBA movement in IL deserves a Bravo Zulu for this.
If/when we get an individual rights decision in Heller and the DC Gun ban goes down, I think that Chicago’s all-out gun ban would be the next logical target. It would be nice to see my friends in Illinois have the opportunity to enjoy some of the freedoms I take for granted in Indiana.
