WARREN, Mich. (WJBK) - If you spot Jeff Haman, you will likely notice his holstered .45 caliber carried out in the open. It's his legal right, but you wouldn't think so when you hear what Haman claims happened as he was walking home in August 2009 on Twelve Mile Road west of Hoover.

We're told it all started because people started calling 911 saying they saw a man walking down the street with a gun in the open.

"I could hear the tires kind of screeching," said Haman. "As he was pulling up, I saw that he had his firearm pulled out aimed straight at me. I went down to my knees and then he yelled at me and told me to lay down on my stomach with my hands straight out towards him, and the whole time he had the gun trained on me."

Treated as a common criminal, Haman claims. Moments later, two more Warren Police cruisers and three officers arrived.

"He grabbed me up by the chains scraping my knees after he'd dragged me up forcefully," Haman told FOX 2.

Haman got his hands on the Warren Police dash cam video, but he claims it only picked up one cruiser's view and exchanges with the officers after the alleged assault went down.

"You should at least tell us what you're doing. You know what I mean? Call us to say, listen, I'm going to go out for a walk with my gun on my hip today," an officer can be heard saying on that video.
"Walking around like this is just going to end up getting you hurt somehow. Express your rights the way you want to express it, but when you get hurt, don't cry that somebody hurt you because you were expressing your rights. You're just asking for trouble, brother."

"Why? Would you do that if you had purple pants on that day? It's totally legal. It's constitutional. Why would you call the police if you're leaving your house for anything," Haman said.

Due to how he was allegedly treated, Haman, a gun advocate, former firearms dealer and member of Michigan Open Carry, has decided to sue Warren Police for $600,000.

Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green, who was named in the suit, couldn't comment specifically, but he said he supports the officer's actions 100-percent. Officers, he said, are duty bound and can't assume someone openly carrying a gun is following the law.

"This is a police officer. He works for the community. He works for me. What he did was wrong," said Haman.

Haman said he is filing the lawsuit because he doesn't want this to happen anyone else and that a lot people are not informed about the open carry laws, including police officers. He wants this to send a message.

 

This is an interesting site for info and navigating…

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h822/show

 

The following opinion & perspective is from Dudley Brown, Executive Director, National Association For Gun Rights. www.NationalGunRights.org .

The statement is quoted here:

"Some well-meaning, but in my opinion very misguided pro-gunners are working to pass a bill that could turn into a Trojan Horse for more gun control.

Of course, I'm talking about H.R. 822, the so-called "National Reciprocity Act," which could open the flood gates of gun control.

I'm calling it the National CCW Registration Act.

While the idea that all states should recognize a concealed weapons permit is sound public policy, the use of the anti-gun federal bureaucracy to implement it is simply foolish.

Once the Federal Government is in the business of setting the standards for concealed carry permits, it's only a matter of time before they start using that power to restrict our rights.

Now you may hear arguments that this bill doesn't do that, and maybe that's true ... for now.

Even worse, once this bill starts moving, anyone can amend the bill with anything ... and no legislation can bind a future Congress in any way. And that doesn't count what Obamacrats in the Department of Justice might dream up as the "regulations" to carry out the legislative "intent."

I know many of you are frustrated that you can carry in some states but not others -- I'm frustrated, too.

I carry concealed every day, everywhere I go, and have worked to expand the ability of citizens to carry in dozens of states.

I believe I should be able to carry concealed -- without a permit -- in all 50 states. That's what "bear arms" means. Believe me, that's a long-term policy goal for the National Association for Gun Rights.

But mark my words, H.R. 822, the National CCW Registration Act, will become nothing more than a Trojan Horse for even more federal gun control.

I understand that many who support this bill sincerely just want their right to carry respected -- but cannot due to the fact that their state or another won't do the right thing.

But the devil is truly in the details... and the details are where H.R. 822 gets sticky.

This bill isn't just about the right to carry for self defense -- it's a battle over the role of government and the ability to restrict our Second Amendment rights.

Once gun owners let the Obamacrats start mandating whether states recognize permit reciprocity, they will want to mandate what it takes to get and keep those permits.

We're talking about:

More onerous standards to acquire a permit, so that only FBI agents can pass muster (look at New York's permit system);
Higher fees;
More training requirements;
A demonstration of "Need" for a permit;
More frequent renewal periods;
Federally-mandated waiting periods;
A national database of all permit holders, accessible by Attorney General Eric Holder;
An extensive, federally-created list of Criminal Safezones, where only criminals will carry and where law-abiding gun owners are vulnerable;
The list of potential problems is endless.

Not to mention this legislation would shred the Constitutional Carry provisions that are on the books in Arizona, Alaska, Vermont and Wyoming.

It doesn't stop with just concealed carry. They'll co-opt the bill to expand the national Brady Registration Check system to block military veterans with PTSD or individuals with misdemeanor convictions from even OWNING firearms -- much less use them for self defense.

I don't believe the intentions of the bill sponsors are intrinsically bad -- they're just naive and misguided.

Many statists in Washington will co-opt H.R. 822 as part of their grab for more federal power and less individual liberty.

Even now, the statists in Congress are trying to adopt a National ID card, complete with biometric data that they've forced the states to conform to their mandated drivers license "standards." The National Association for Gun Rights has been part of a group of liberty-minded organizations that have passed state legislation forbidding cooperation with the federal National ID.

While many in the institutional gun control lobby will tell you this is a step forward for CCW permit holders, make no mistake, the National CCW Registration Act is a misguided attempt to protect our rights.

It's like asking the fox to guard the hen house.

They will use this bill as the foundation to create a federal database of CCW permit holders. And then they can link it everywhere the Feds have database connections -- state police, doctors and insurance companies under Obamacare, and Medicaid/Medicare.

I'm sorry, but I refuse to entrust my liberty and privacy to a "trust us, they won't do that "approach to dealing with Obama, the gun-grabbers or frankly most politicians of either party in Washington.

Please call Rep. Ander Crenshaw at (202) 225-2501 and relay the message that gun owners oppose H.R. 822, the Trojan Horse gun control bill. Make clear that you want to keep the Federal Government's hands off the state-run CCW permit system.

It's imperative that we stop H.R. 822 -- the National CCW Registration Act -- before it gathers steam and support.

Liberal Republicans and so-called "conservative" Democrats are looking for an easy "pro-gun" vote to give them cover before the next election.

A Trojan Horse gun control bill like H.R. 822 is exactly the kind of legislation that will get support on both sides of the aisle in Washington D.C. And remember, the Democrat-controlled Senate has to pass it before it gets to Obama ... so this bill will only get worse.

That's why you and I have to make noise, now!

Please call Rep. Ander Crenshaw at (202) 225-2501 (send an email, too; you can get that link here) and relay the message that gun owners oppose H.R. 822, the Trojan Horse gun control bill. Make clear that you want to keep the Federal Government's hands off the state-run CCW permit system.

Thank you for joining me in this important fight against the National CCW Registration Act."

For Freedom,

Dudley Brown
Executive Director


The National Association for Gun Rights is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens' organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Constitutionally protected right-to-keep-and-bear-arms through an aggressive program designed to mobilize public opposition to anti-gun legislation. The National Association for Gun Rights' mailing address is P.O 7002, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. They can be contacted toll-free at 1-877-405-4570. Its web address is www.NationalGunRights.org/

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — An Evansville man has sued the city, claiming police violated a new state law when they made him leave the Mesker Park Zoo for refusing to cover a gun on his hip.

An attorney for Benjamin A. Magenheimer said the man was singled out because he was carrying a gun, and police and zoo employees clearly violated a new law that allows local governments to ban guns only from buildings that house courtrooms. Local ordinances banning firearms from other locations, such as libraries and parks, are no longer allowed.

According to a police report, zoo officials called police Sept. 10 after several patrons complained about a man who was visibly carrying a handgun. When one of the officers asked him to conceal the weapon, the man refused and "started getting loud and causing a scene," the report said.

Officers asked the man to leave the zoo because he was frightening other patrons, the report said. He refused and police escorted him out. After he left, zoo staff reportedly told police that Magenheimer told them he could not be denied his right to bear arms.

Magenheimer has a license to carry a gun and had a copy on his person at the time, the suit said. Gun licenses do not require concealment, the newspaper reported.

Magenheimer's attorney, Guy Relford of Zionsville, disputed the police report's claim that Magenheimer was argumentative.

"At no point did he become disorderly in any way," Relford said.

But City Attorney David Jones said Magenheimer was removed from the zoo for causing a disturbance, not just for carrying a gun. He said the city would fight the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Vanderburgh Circuit Court.

"To me, it's not about the gun. I don't think you have a right to intimidate or frighten people or create the disturbance he created. To go into a petting zoo area with a gun, where there are children, that's just idiotic," Jones said.

The lawsuit names Evansville and its Department of Parks & Recreation as defendants. It seeks financial damages, a court declaration finding the city's actions were illegal and an injunction preventing future similar actions by the city.

Jones said Evansville has no ordinances or policies that restrict firearms. He said city officials reviewed the issue after the law was passed this summer. The law took effect July 1.

Jones said the law doesn't give local governments much leeway.

"It's poorly written. I don't think it was given much thought as to situations such as this," he said.

Relford also is representing two clients in a similar lawsuit against Hammond that was filed after the city council rejected an ordinance that would have brought local laws in line with the state change. The city directed its police officers not to enforce Hammond's ban on carrying firearms in municipal buildings earlier this month, but the city's law against carrying guns in public buildings and parks remains in place.

 

Listen

 

Drew,

Me likey that Bro!

 

Time for concealed carry 09/21/2011, 8:43 pm
Jerry Long, Write Team

I could talk about the Second Amendment and our legal right to own and possess a firearm, but according to the Supreme Court, that is a moot point.

To be able to "carry" is a different story. The Second Amendment states: "to keep and bear arms." The word "bear" means: to produce, to carry; convey, to show visibly. All of which doesn't mean to leave in your house.

According to statistics, even though Chicago has implemented new crime fighting techniques received from Los Angeles and New York, Chicago still is ranked in the top five worst cities in violent crimes. Chicago installed cameras on street corners in the highest-crime areas in the city. These cameras hear the sound of a gunshot, then focus on the area, then zoom in.

Because most criminal activity is directly connected to drug dealers and gangs, this prompted Chicago to also focus on a certain population segment within the city — low-income households. With the low-income residents being the large majority of drug purchasers, the city felt the need to eliminate the attraction for the drug dealers by dispersing or encouraging such residents to relocate to different areas of the state.

In 2009, Illinois had a total population of just less than 13 million with 773 murders, 510 in Chicago, with a population just less than 3 million. Texas has a population of just less than 25 million — 12 percent of the total population in the U.S. — and in 2009 had 1,328 murders. Texas also borders Mexico. If Chicago was the size of Texas, per capita, that would be 4,080 murders. While Washington, D.C., is ranked the worst city in every category, Chicago is not far behind.

While crime is and should be fought on many different levels, I believe concealed carry should be included in the fight against crime. Statistics already have proven that after a state implements concealed carry, crime rates do drop. I wonder how many crimes have not been reported for fear of retribution because the victim is without a firearm?

Isn't it ironic that the retired mayor of Chicago — Richard M. Daley, one of the biggest opponents of concealed carry — now wants the taxpayers to pay for the use of police protection around the clock because he had death threats? I wonder how many victims have had death threats against them for reporting a crime?

If you place a handgun on your kitchen table, unless it is picked up by someone, that handgun will be there 3,000 years from now, or until Mother Nature takes it away. Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

Let me leave you with something to chew on. There are 875 million firearms in the world today; the U.S. posses 270 million, equaling 90 guns for every 100 people in America. There is a reason why a country like China will not attempt to invade the U.S. via conventional warfare — it would be insane to attack a 250 million-man army.

Guns are our first line of defense for a free society. Without guns or the ability to carry, can anyone say "breach of national security?"

 

Legislators prepare for potential concealed carry vote
by Rhonda Gillespie

Next month, the Illinois House could revisit House Bill 148, seeking to bring the state in line with all 49 others with a law giving citizens some form of concealed possession of a handgun.

The idea of being able to legally carry a handgun is OK with William Bradley – on the one hand.

The 68-year-old retiree wants to be able to walk out of the Chatham home where he and his wife reside, without fear for his personal safety. Right now, he said he doesn’t have that comfort.

“When I walk out of my front door right now, I poke my head out my door looking for somebody standing around, and that’s not the way you should live,” he told the Defender following a community forum Aug. 31 at WVON-AM headquarters. The forum was hosted by groups who were outspoken in their support for concealed carry legislation as a Constitutional right.

Bradley, like most at the meeting, wants to be able to protect himself against criminals.

“If I had a way of protecting myself ... these criminal types would be less inclined to be stalking around and just walking up on you,” he said.

But on the other hand, he doesn’t want to see more armed - legally or illegally - citizens.
State Rep. Marlow Colvin, D-33rd Dist., heard from Bradley and others who expressed fear of being out-gunned by criminals and feel that they aren’t protected by police they called over-worked on a forced stretched thin.

Colvin voted against HB 148 earlier this year, but in case it comes up again during the House veto session next month, he said he is dropping in on meetings like the one at WVON, talking to his constituents and doing his own research. It could change his vote.

At the end of October, state Rep. Brandon Phelps could bring the measure for a vote again, and is reportedly working to garner veto-proof majority support.

Gov. Pat Quinn previously put lawmakers on notice that he would veto concealed carry legislation.

The bill, also known as the Family and Personal Protection Act, would allow 21 and older Illinoisans who have a valid Firearm Owners Identification Card to pay a $100 fee to obtain a license issued by the state police that allows them to carry a handgun on them or in their car that is completely or “mostly” concealed from view. Felons, people with some misdemeanor drug convictions, those with some driving under the influence convictions, people declared to have mental illness and others would not qualify for a license, according to the current version of the bill.

While opponents cite studies showing that more guns on the street could lead to more gun violence, backers of concealed carry cite studies that say the opposite is true.

Colvin said at the forum that he didn’t support HB 148 because, in its current form, it is “flawed” legislation. He told the Defender after the meeting at WVON that the bill could be “great” in some other areas of the state but he is “not sure” if a law that legally arms some citizens would work in places like Chicago and Cook County.

“I think most people see it as a proliferation of guns in Chicago, and they can’t get beyond that,” Colvin said. “Do I believe flat out will a gun make you safer? No, I don’t. Not safer. Will it put you in a position to respond to violence? Perhaps.”

Jury convicts ex-Ill. Gov. Blagojevich at retrial Museum offers passes to CPS students for 1st day Protest held at home of GOP sender of chimp emailFirst lady begins campaigning Wed to help DemsChicago State University unveils aquaponics effortChicago police chief walks on last day of contract Related to:
Our cityconcealed carryconcealed handgunsfr. Michael pflegerrep. lashawn fordChicago defender

But Gerald Vernon, one of the panelists at the forum and a representative of the pro-handgun organization IllinoisCarry.com, offers an emphatic yes.

He is sure that “realistically, yes, a gun is needed for self-defense.”

Like most of the vocal proponents of a concealed carry law who were hardly shy about making their case for allowing “law-abiding citizens” to be strapped, at their own discretion, Vernon said more than fear of being a defenseless victim of crime, some Illinoisans should be able to carry a gun because it is “God-given right that can’t nobody legislate.”

Chicago has been an anti-handgun metropolis since the 1960s when the City Council outlawed the sale of handguns within the city limits (1968), and then a decade later (1982) banned the possession of the firearms.

Last year, a U.S. Supreme Court decision overruled the city’s handgun ban, saying it violated the 2nd Amendment which says the “right to bear arms shall not be infringed.”

One of the most vocal opponents of concealed carry laws has been former Mayor Richard Daley. Daley told lawmakers last March that a state concealed carry law would usurp the responsibilities of local governments. He said any legislation should allow Chicago to opt out of the law. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has also argued against the legislation.

Colvin’s colleague in the Illinois House, LaShawn K. Ford, held a town hall meeting the same night, on the same subject. The West Side meeting drew Rev. Michael Pfleger, who has marched against guns and violence committed against youth.

“If the NRA (National Rifle Association) and the gun pushers are serious about responsible gun ownership, why do they fight us trying to close the loopholes and title guns just like cars?” Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church questioned.
“The answer is because the number one consumer of guns is the criminal and stopping easy access means making less money. Their motive has always been money at the cost of our children’s lives.”

Annette Nance-Holt, who lost her only son Blair to a gunman's bullet in May 2007 on a Chicago Transit Authority bus, was at the West Side meeting.She does not favor concealed carry legislation.

Ford told the Defender that the May vote on HB 148 came up so quickly in the House
that he didn't have time to sort things out before casting his vote. He voted “present” then and is now listening to his constituents in case the legislation is revived.

“This bill is not easy to decide,” Ford said. “There is a strong force against it and there's a strong force for it.” He said he has heard the pro-rights groups push for concealed carry for those groups’ own reasons - mostly due to Constitutional rights. And he has heard the fears of others that the legislation would do the opposite of what they want done - get guns off the street.

But Ford said the whole to-carry-or-not-to-carry debate is “misfocused.” He said that gun violence, in general, and especially in urban communities, is a result of “social injustice” that has put people “in predicaments that they should not be in in America” in this day and age. Ford said people need jobs and education.

Chinta Strausberg contributed to this report.

 

Concealed carry law for Illinois is a hot button topic
By J. Coyden Palmer
Hundreds of people attended two town hall meetings last week to voice their opinions in support of Illinois passing a concealed carry law that will allow citizens to carry guns and to condemn Black lawmakers that voted against the measure earlier this year. Both events were held on August 31 with 250 people attending a West Side meeting sponsored by Representative LaShawn Ford and an additional 125 people in attendance at a South Side gathering at radio station WVON.

Those in attendance spoke for a need to protect themselves as the number of sworn police officers in the city is down and cited the U. S. Constitution as the reasoning to support their position. “If the police are not responsible for your individual safety and you are, how then do you exercise that responsibility without the means to do so?” asked Gerald Vernon, founder of The Chicago Firearms Safety Association. “The Second Amendment said ‘you have a right to keep and bear arms.’ Keep means to have. Bear means to have with you. This is not rocket science.”

Vernon was just one of four panelists that spoke at the South Side meeting. Others included Lori Meriweather, a single mother and member of the Second Amendment Sisters and U.S. Army veteran Shawn Gowder. The event was moderated by talk show host Cliff Kelley. Kelley favors passing the legislation. “When I was a member of the city council back in 1982 I voted against then Mayor Jane Byrne’s ordinance to ban handguns because I saw it as an attempt to disarm law-abiding Black people,” Kelley said. “I came to this position after reading about a case in Washington D. C. where a man called to police to report a man broke into his home and was raping his wife and the cops never responded. When he sued the police, the courts threw out the case saying the police are not responsible for your personal protection.”

For Gowder, who did several tours in Iraq, it was a life or death situation in Chicago that solidified his position. He told the audience how a few years ago he stopped one night to buy cigarettes at a local gas station and was accosted by a youth. As he got back in his van the youth stood in front of his car and refused to move. As Gowder sped off, several shots were fired into his van but he and his girlfriend escaped injury.

“That night I committed to two things; first I stopped smoking and secondly I wanted a means to protect myself,” Gowder said. Last May, a measure that would have brought a concealed carry law to the state failed. House Bill 148 fell six votes short of the necessary 71, due mostly to African American, Chicago-area politicians voting no. One person who voted against the bill was Representative Marlow Colvin (District 33), who attended the forum. Colvin said he voted against the bill because of “too many flaws.” Asked to expound on what those flaws were, he said there was no state registration required in the bill and no educational component to teach people how to shoot in public safely like law enforcement personnel are trained to do. He also said he does not believe guns are the answer to the state’s crime issues.

“I don’t flat out believe that a gun will make you safer. Would it put you in a position to respond to violence? Perhaps,” Colvin said. “What nobody can disagree with is that clearly a concealed carry law will put more guns on the streets of Chicago. Not all those guns will be used in the most virtuous of ways.” Colvin was taken to task for his lack of knowledge of guns themselves and the current regulations. Any gun purchased in Illinois is automatically registered in the state, Gowder explained. He said gun owners will never go for safety locks because in a situation where every second counts, the lock can put a person at a disadvantage that may cost them their life. And when Colvin said there would be a problem with people carrying guns to large, public events like Taste of Chicago, audience members told him it is not a problem in cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, Miami or other large metropolises. Illinois is one of only two states in the country that does not have a concealed carry law.

Meriweather said she was a victim of a serial stalker who showed up inside her home one day while her kids were there. She said the experience showed her just how vulnerable she and other single women are.

“Just about every woman I know is not going to be able to stop a man from assaulting her in a one on one situation,” Meriweather said. “The gun evens the fight. You can’t deny that fact. I think what Illinois is doing is criminal towards women, seniors and others who are at a physical disadvantage to some thug who wants to do them harm.” Kelley said passing a concealed carry law does not mean everyone is going out to buy a gun. He said those against concealed carry have poisoned the conversation by using fear tactics and saying that Chicago will become like the “Wild West.”

“People can argue that it’s already like that out here,” Kelley said. “Last month the police burst through the doors here at the station looking for a gunman who had just shot and killed two people in cold blood a few blocks away and that was on a Friday afternoon. Those who don’t want to carry don’t have to, but don’t take that right away from those of us who do.”

Ford was the only Black lawmaker who did not vote against HB 148. He voted “present.” He said he did so because he was not sure on the issue and wanted to hear from his constituents. He said at his meeting there were a lot of good things said and it is an issue that is really being talked about in his community. He believes the bill will come up again at this fall’s veto session, but would not commit yet to a vote one way or the other.

“This is a serious bill we will be considering and I want to be absolutely positive I am making the right vote,” Ford said. “I will be going over data and listening to more people in the coming weeks before making a decision.”

 

We have a better chance than ever of getting such a bill passed. The IL State Police and the IL Sheriff's Association are on our side, the frickin' NRA is supposed to sue the state of Illinois, and now Wisconsin has CCW coming. The IL lawmakers have NO reason to not allow this bill to pass...

 

While BSing at my local tackle shop yesterday in walked my local Rep. A very nice young man who said he was so fed up with the state of the State he got involved. I asked him where he stood on CCW and he said it was something he was strongly in favor of!

Drop him a line if you like...

http://morrison.ilhousegop.org/

http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=1783

 

Huntley Tea Party to Hold Forum on Concealed Carry!!

BE THERE TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO SELF DEFENSE

The Huntley Tea Party is holding a forum on the Right of Citizens to Conceal Carry at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the Codman Cultural Center, 12015 Mill St., in Huntley, Illinois (map).

Known gun grabbers Bill and Jennifer Jenkins from the Brady Campaign will be there to try to push gun control, gun registration and confiscation schemes; ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson will be there to support your Right To Carry. Also on the panel will be Huntley Police Chief John Perkins and State Rep Mike Tryon (R-64), a co-sponsor of HB-148 - The Family and Personal Protection Act.

 

Boy, this one would be hard for me to miss........only 5 min from home.
I may have to drop in on this one.
Thanks for the updates.
Tim

 

URGENT ALERT – YOUR ACTION REQUIRED

ANTI-GUN CARRY STATE REPRESENTATIVE TO APPEAR AT TOWN HALL MEETING

BE THERE TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO SELF DEFENSE

Anti-Concealed Carry State Representative Jim Durkin will be appearing at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 7:00 PM. The location for the meeting is at the Old Town Hall building in Lockport at 16057 S. Cedar Rd.

Durkin (R-82) was one of 52 state representatives who voted against HB148 – the concealed carry bill. Durkin voted against HB148 because he felt it is more important to appease machine politicians and big money backers of gun control than it is to protect you against violent criminals. Jim Durkin has accepted awards from anti-gun organizations such as ICHV.

 

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) — A south suburban Chicago Heights man had a gun and used it on an intruder this week, and now the alleged home invader is dead.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Bernie Tafoya reports, Chicago Heights police say a homeowner in the 300 block of Boston Street was in his bathroom Tuesday morning when he heard the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen.

He grabbed his gun and went into his kitchen to find an 18-year-old man crouching next to the kitchen table, Chicago Heights police said. The homeowner fired several shots at the teen, who jumped out the window and collapsed in the backyard.

Police found the alleged burglar, lying unresponsive on the grass in the backyard. Hall was pronounced dead at 9:26 a.m. Tuesday at Franciscan St. James Hospital and Health Care Centers in Olympia Fields, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. He was shot multiple times, according to the Medical Examiner’s office.

Chicago Heights police are continuing their investigation. No charges have been announced in relation to the shooting.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

 

Follow-up...

A Huntley tea party gathering Tuesday night may have served as a campaign launching point for Congressman Joe Walsh as much as it did as a public forum on gun rights.

With 14th Congressional District incumbent Randy Hultgren looking on from the audience most of the night, Walsh delivered a series of audience-charging statements that lead to roaring applause. At least one audience member said, “Man, I love this guy.”

Walsh may also have drawn the first battle line of the race between himself and Hultgren by putting the tea party movement ahead of his Republican ballot status.

“The media doesn't understand this movement,” Walsh said. “The Republican Party doesn't understand this movement. And maybe it's a good thing that they don't.”

Walsh then told an audience filled with concealed carry advocates exactly what they wanted to hear in pledging to be a “cheerleader” for gun rights in Congress.

“We are an embarrassment (in Illinois),” Walsh said. “We are the last state standing when it comes to concealed carry. There's no issue when it comes to freedom that matters like this, like the Second Amendment. The most important amendment in that Bill of Rights is the Second Amendment. It protects every other amendment. It is the last line of defense between us and our government.”

Walsh said Congress should move to cut off all funding to the United Nations as well as any exploration of restricting gun manufacturing or arms trading through the U.N.

“There's no way the United States should be restricted by any international law,” Walsh said. “It amazes me that we're even looking into it.”

State Rep. Mike Tryon rode that wave of enthusiasm to call for a renewed effort to bring concealed carry to Illinois. Tryon is the co-sponsor of a bill that would do exactly that. Guns aren't the problem, Tryon said — gun violence is the true culprit. Addressing that violence means teaching gun violence prevention in local schools, he added.

He closed by quoting a bumper sticker he recently saw: “Blaming the gun for gun violence is like blaming the spoon that made Roseanne Barr fat.”

Organizers of the forum, held at the Codman Cultural Center, 12015 Mill St., attempted to balance out the information by giving time to Bill Jenkins, a professor at Dominican University. Jenkins' 16-year-old son was killed by a gunman robbing the fast food restaurant where he worked. Jenkins owns a .357 Magnum, but tried to convince the audience that concealed carry is bad for Illinois. Jenkins used statistics showing concealed carry doesn't lead to less crime. He pressed for full background checks with the idea of not banning most guns, but restricting more of the “military-grade” weapons to people who have a true reason to own them.

Jenkins' comments were greeted by frowns, a few cuss words and at least one shout of “liar” from an audience member.

As the forum neared its close, Walsh fired up the crowd one more time by saying he believes a special independent prosecutor will soon review at least one, if not two, actions by President Barack Obama's administration.

Walsh said either the loss of $527 million loaned to the California green energy company Solyndra, or the emerging Operation Fast and Furious details will spark enough questions to fuel an investigation. Operation Fast and Furious involves the ATF allegedly allowing thousands of weapons to fall into the hands of Mexico's drug cartels. Walsh said he believes evidence is beginning to show U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder both knew about and allowed those weapons to fall into the wrong hands.

 

FBI Stats Correlate with CCW Popularity, notes Gun Dean

"Recent FBI reports show a four-year drop in violent crime," gun law expert John M. Snyder said here today. "This correlates with the popularity and enactment of state concealed laws," he added. He is the Gun Dean, notes Human Events.

According to FBI statistics, murder dropped 4.2 percent last year from the previous year. Robberies dropped 10 percent and rapes five percent.

Snyder (www.GunRightsPolicies.org) noted that, "over the past 25 years, there has been an increase in the number of states that allow qualified citizens to carry concealed firearms. Forty-nine states permit this in one way or the other. Only Illinois does not.

"What's needed is a law to allow a man or woman who has a state issued permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to carry in other states. This could reduce further the rates of violent crime. Criminals generally don't want to attack armed citizens."

Snyder said this would be similar to the current reciprocity that allows an individual with a license to operate an automobile in one state to drive his or her car in other states.

"The idea meets with the approval of the nation's law enforcement command officers," Snyder indicated. "A survey of American chiefs of police and sheriffs conducted by the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP) shows this. Seventy-nine percent think general national recognition of CCW permits issued by a state would facilitate the crime-fighting potential of the professional law enforcement community.

"Seventy-four percent of the command officers think qualified, law-abiding armed citizens can be of assistance to the professional law enforcement community in promoting justice and reducing criminal activity."

"Fortunately," Snyder continued, "there is a bill in Congress, H.R. 822, by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), the proposed National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act. This would allow Americans who hold state-issued permits to carry concealed firearms to carry their guns across state lines.

"Congressman Stearns has been proposing similar legislation for a decade or so. There are over 240 bi-partisan cosponsors of the bill, which Rep. Stearns introduced this year with Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC). Recently, the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security held a public hearing on H.R. 822, a first for Rep. Stearns' proposal."

"H.R. 822 enjoys a lot of public and congressional support," said Snyder. "Citizens who believe in the right to keep and bear arms can take action. Citizens who want to see violent crime take an even further nose dive can take action. Now is the time for American citizen-voters to contact their Representative, both of their Senators and the White House to demand positive action of H.R. 822 as soon as possible."

From Gun Law Expert John M. Snyder

 

AND

http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/11/mi...to-gun-owners/

 

Will concealed carry law make Illinois any safer?

Share Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011, 3:47 pm
By John Donald O'Shea

Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, an African-American, third-term Democrat representing a West Chicago District, told the Chicago Sun-Times on Sept, 8 that he would support "concealed carry" legislation if it came up for a vote in the General Assembly. Rep. Ford said he "knows it sounds bad," but that his constituents desire to legally protect themselves with firearms.

"They're saying we're making criminals out of law-abiding citizens. They're saying you're only siding with the criminals because the criminals could care less about the law."

In the years that I served in the state's attorney's office and on the bench I never questioned the wisdom of outlawing the carrying of concealed weapons. I simply accepted the premise that if more people carried guns, it would translate into more gun violence. Mass killings over the past few years have caused me to begin to question my long-held beliefs.

-- On Nov. 5, 2009, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire with an automatic pistol at the Soldier Readiness Center of Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding 30 others. The shootings ended only when Hasan was shot and disabled by civilian police officer Sgt. Mark Todd. The soldier-victims were unarmed.

-- On Jan. 8, 2011, 19 people were shot by Jared Loughner, 22, as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords met with her constituents. Six, including U. S. District Judge John M. Roll, and Christina Green, 9, were killed, and Rep. Giffords was shot through the head. The victims were unarmed.

-- On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, shot to death 69 people in Norway at a youth retreat. One of the first victims was an unarmed off-duty police officer hired to provide security. Police in Norway generally do not carry firearms. Breivik's victims were unarmed.

-- On Sept. 7, 2011, Edwardo Sencion of Carson City killed four and wounded eight others at an IHOP restaurant. Three of the dead were members of the Nevada National Guard. The victims were unarmed.

Our Second Amendment provides, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

I have previously written why I think we have a Second Amendment. "At the time the Second Amendment was adopted in 1791, no city in the United States had an organized police force. ...

"The counties had their sheriffs, but in an era before telephones, a sheriff at the county seat miles away afforded the frontiersman scant protection against marauding Indians, burglars and robbers. In the backwoods, a family's personal security rested on their ownership of guns. That was the patent reality in 1791."

In 1850, a French economist and philosopher, Frederic Bastiat, in his treatise "The Law," succinctly explained that the law's first purpose is "self defense."

"What, then, is law? It is the collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense.

"Each of us has a natural right -- from God -- to defend his person, his liberty, and his property.

"If every person has the right to defend -- even by force -- his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect these rights constantly. Thus the ... collective right -- is based on the individual right."

With that in mind, I am now asking myself:

First, assuming all four incidents might have occurred even if the carrying of concealed weapons had been permitted, had there been people carrying concealed, would one or more of gunmen have been shot before they killed and wounded as many as they did?

Second, if a person intent on committing mass murder knows that a number of his intended victims or bystanders -- especially those standing behind him -- may be armed, might he be deterred?

Third, if citizens competently trained in firearm safety and without criminal records or mental health problems are allowed to carry concealed, is their any real likelihood that unlawful shootings will increase due to misuse of that privilege?

Fourth, are there reliable statistic in states which permit concealed carry to answer my third query?

The Chicago Redeye has written that there were 34 gun homicides in Chicago during July 2011. Would gang members be as inclined to use guns if they knew their intended victims or bystanders might also be carrying concealed?

I don't know the answer to these questions. But I do know that unarmed citizens have little or no chance against heavily armed criminals bent on committing mass murder. When somebody like Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan uses a semi-automatic pistol that can fire 20 rounds from a clip as fast as he can squeeze the trigger, the police are probably not going to arrive in time to prevent the slaughter. And as long as smaller clips can be exchanged almost instantaneously, banning 20-round clips won't solve the problems.

At the time the 2nd Amendment was adopted, pistols and long guns generally fired a single shot. Reloading gave others time to counterattack or run. Modern automatic and semiautomatic weapons deprive victims of those options. And every one of the incidents cited demonstrates that having armed police just minutes away is not enough.

I can't think of any meaningful alternative except concealed carry to stop mass murders. Can you? Washington D.C. and Chicago have a strict handgun bans. Law-abiding citizens comply, but the criminals don't. Would concealed carry cut down on murders and mass murder, or just lead to more shootings? I don't know. Do you?

I have no desire to carry a weapon, but do I have any right to tell one of Rep. Ford's constituents, living in a crime ridden part of Chicago, that they are wrong to want protection?
John Donald O'Shea of Moilne is a retired circuit court judge.

 

How Free? Freedom vs. Security

Presented Illinois Humanities Council via Chicago Amplified | Oct. 05, 2011

Most discussions about the tension between public security and personal freedom center on a few basic themes: When the public calls for greater security, does the government offer effective solutions? Are the techniques put into place to protect our security doing the job? Do certain security measures violate our civil liberties?

Listen or download here - http://www.wbez.org/story/how-free-f...security-93019