Second Amendment Alive and Well in Carroll County

[Neo-Luddite]

The Carroll County Board has approved the RKBA resolution promoted by the ISRA. Local gratitude is due to Tom Kocal, publisher of the Prairie Advocate, and to the members of the Carroll County Board.

Thank You,

Michael Bishop


http://www.prairie-advocate-news.com/4-23-08/pro2A4_23_08.html


Second Amendment Alive and Well in Carroll County
By Tom Kocal,
[email protected]


MT. CARROLL - The Carroll County Board approved a resolution in support of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 22 of the Illinois Constitution last Thursday. Carroll County is the 77th Illinois county out of 102 to support the resolution, which states that the right of the people to bear arms is guaranteed as an individual right for defense of life, liberty and property, and "is regarded as an Inalienable Right by the People of Carroll County, Illinois."

The item was tabled at the March meeting because Chuck Wemstrom (D-3) didn't agree with the wording in the resolution that stated the County would "oppose the enactment of any legislation . . ."

"My specific complaint is about the word 'any,'" Wemstrom said Thursday. "All amendments have restrictions. I am not against anyone owning guns for hunting or target shooting, for example. But handguns create dangerous situations. We've created a hysteria in this country that we need to arm ourselves to protect ourselves. For those reasons, I am voting against the resolution as presented."

Rod Fritz (D-3) said he went on-line to research the issue. "It was nice to see in a local paper a place that I could click on and see our laws," Fritz commented. (As reported in the April 16 Prairie Advocate, if it has been awhile since you have read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, you can refresh your memory by going to www.prairie-advocate-news.com and clicking on the American Flag).

Richard Veith of Mt. Carroll, who presented the resolution to the Board in March, introduced Glenn White and Tom Hutton as supporters of the resolution. White, originally from Chicago, built a home north of Savanna to be able to enjoy hunting in "Savanna, Sportsman's Paradise." Hutton is the general manager of Savanna Ace Hardware, who sells approximately 200 guns per year, which is about 4 every week.

"To my knowledge, not one of these guns has ever been used to hurt anyone," Veith explained. "A ban of semi-automatic weapons is also being proposed. We don't need that. I'm not against good legislation, but most duck hunters on the Mississippi are using semi-automatic shotguns. Many of these hunting guns would be banned, simply because they hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

"What we're saying is that we have the right to govern ourselves, and not be governed by someone who doesn't understand who we are," Veith explained. "There are many hunting and target shooting clubs operating safely in Carroll County. Many hunters and shooters are affiliated with organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever, that promote gun safety, as well as teach children and adults the proper way to use firearms. We want to govern ourselves."

State's Attorney Scott Brinkmeier confirmed that this resolution is not a law. "The resolution will simply voice county support of the right to bear arms, as stated in the 2nd Amendment."

"We need handgun control," Wemstrom stated. "There is a handgun epidemic in Cook County. By passing this resolution, we are saying that it's more important to be able to buy any gun, any time, rather than addressing the safety issue."

Wemstrom, a former teacher, spoke of several times when he would arrive at class, only to see the anguish on the faces of his students, because a classmate had been gunned down the previous night.

Fritz said that gun laws only take away guns from honest people. "The criminals will always find a way to get a gun, regardless of the law."

Shawn Picolotti (D-1) concluded the discussion by stating, "Taking guns away from honest people will not solve the violence problem."

The motion to approve the resolution was called, resulting in a 12-2 vote in favor of the resolution. Wemstrom and Juanita Randklev (D-1) were opposed.

 

[lee n. field]

"We need handgun control," Wemstrom stated. "There is a handgun epidemic in Cook County. By passing this resolution, we are saying that it's more important to be able to buy any gun, any time, rather than addressing the safety issue."

Lady, you're worlds away from Cook County.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

It's "Chuck" Wemstrom--here was his Letter to the Editor from this week's PA

County Board 2nd Amendment Resolution Stirs Up Heated Debate in our Letters to the Editor
Wemstrom Questions Publisher's Pro2A Stance

In the April 16 edition of Prairie Advocate there were two opinion pieces on gun control. Tom Kocal's piece Heart of the Matter stated that he was against House Bill 4393, which would limit gun purchases to one handgun a month. He seems to agree with the bill's sponsors that "studies show that handguns sold in bulk sales to the same individual purchaser are frequently used in crime." He goes on to say that he's against the bill not on the merits of the bill, but because it's a Chicago problem. In other words, if Chicago is asking the rest of the state for help, he's against helping Chicago. If Chicago kids are in trouble that's OK, they're not Carroll County kids.

The second reason he is against HB 4393 is that "the issue is gun control, which violates every citizen's right to bear arms." This is only his interpretation of the Second Amendment. As he knows, all the amendments have been interpreted and all of them have had limitations placed on them. As a newspaper owner, he knows that there is no such thing as absolute Freedom of the Press. The press has had limits and restrictions placed on it. He also knows that the amendments, including the Second Amendment, are always open to interpretation and that there is an important case currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court to decide to what extent Washington DC can regulate gun ownership.

Mike Bishop, whom Kocal quotes, goes on to say that they prefer that people protect themselves. That doesn't make sense. He knows that the most dangerous act the average person takes is when he or she brings a gun home for protection. That gun may end up hurting someone in the family, not the burglar. It seems that weekly there are accounts of children hurting or killing their playmates with a gun, there are reports of accidents or there are always cases of a family member in a rage killing another family member. One of the great ironies about keeping a gun at home to protect one's home is that the burglar comes when no one is home and steals the gun and it ends up on the street. The law-abiding citizen inadvertently adds to the very danger he is trying to prevent.

Mr. Kocal and Mr. Bishop, like most of us, are victims of media fear mongering and hysteria. Most victims of a gun crime knew their assailant. Living in rural Illinois, one's chances of being a victim of a crime are small and the chances of being the victim of a crime involving a gun are even smaller. People don't need guns to protect themselves, the threats are imagined. As a member of the County Board I know firsthand that we have a fine Sheriff's Department. I'm not the least bit afraid. Also, gun ownership does not deter crime. Studies have shown that crime rates rise and fall with the economy and that a slowing economy leads to an increase in crime. Second, crime rates follow demographic patterns. The more young people in our society coupled with poverty, the more crime.

Europe and Japan have effective gun control. Europe's and Japan's murder rate is a tenth of ours. I know that we don't like to look to other countries for ideas, but examining why the European murder rate is so very low might make sense.

Jim Sacia, in his column "Capitol Report" on the same page, also seems to think that if a bill is sponsored by Mayor Daley's allies, it must be a bad bill.

Kocal and Sacia are not talking about gun control legislation; they are just engaged in Chicago bashing. The relationship between Chicago and downstate is more complicated than Sacia has ever acknowledged in any of his columns. Instead of this knee-jerk reaction to anything that comes from Chicago, perhaps Sacia and Kocal could take some time to actually analyze that relationship.

Why did I vote against the resolution? The resolution takes a very literal interpretation of the Second Amendment. The resolution did not state that it was simply opposed to certain bills that had been introduced this session, but that it was against any bill, in essence any regulation. And because I believe in reasonable regulation, I voted against the bill. As we all know, there are more laws regulating my use of an automobile than regulating guns and not only don't we object to these rules, we welcome the regulations because they make driving safer.

I believe that a hunter should be allowed to own rifles and shoot guns for hunting. However, I believe that handguns should be strictly regulated. And I don't believe that anyone except law enforcement officers should possess automatic or semiautomatic weapons. I don't want the criminals to have more fire power than the police.

And finally our society glorifies guns; our folk heroes are larger than life. They're quick to draw a gun, quicker to use it. Our movies, video games and our County Boards are teaching our children that violence is the only, the quickest and easiest answer to violence.

Chuck Wemstrom

Mt. Carroll

Publisher's Response:
Unfortunately, Chuck, you've lowered the discussion to supposition, which I will not do. To put it simply, in my opinion piece, I clearly stated that there are no merits to HB 4393. I said that proponents made only "claims" that studies show that handguns sold in bulk sales to the same individual purchaser are frequently used in crime. You claim that I am a "Victim of media fear mongering and hysteria." I never said I was afraid of anything. Regarding Chicago, the issues I mentioned are the reasons why I choose to live here in Carroll County.

To reiterate what I did say in last week's column, here is the Heart of the Matter: "Gun control is gun control, regardless of its protectionist intentions . . . We must remember that the right to protect ourselves rather than our government protecting us from ourselves substantially means that the government is here to serve us - precisely the foremost intent of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution."

I again remind our readers that if it has been awhile since you have read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, you can refresh your memory by going to www.prairie-advocate-news.com and clicking on the American Flag. Read our laws for yourself, then make up your own mind.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

I was going to spare everyone the above, but that was posted in this week's PA--I'm not planning on responding to Mr. Wemstrom's comments directed at me--the objective was achieved. I'd invite him out for beer and tacos (or pie and coffee) if I thought I could change his mind--but he's pretty far away from the place I'm at.

 

[Zangetsu]

What is this resolution that they passed, and what does it do and mean? Does this have anything to do with the CCW bill that was in the state house?

 

[Neo-Luddite]

No, it's a county-by-county thing--mostly symbolic-- that has been moving in IL.

Link to the 'map' from ISRA below:
(click on the map for detail--great visual appeal). Nothing directly to do with anything in legal terms--but it is a *GREAT* morale booster for IL RKBA and makes for a great visual aid to explain what people in geographic majority outside of Chi really think.

Gees Louise--we NEED TEE SHIRTS I think!!!


http://isra.org/counties/

 

[Standing Wolf]

We've created a hysteria in this country that we need to arm ourselves to protect ourselves.

I'm sure that's a lot of comfort to the average victim of murder, rape, armed robbery, et cetera.

Leftist extremists are such self-centered little nobodies.