Crowd applauds conceal/carry speaker Photo D. O'Malley
A capacity crowd turned out on Chicago's South Side last night for an emotional debate on whether people in Illinois should be allowed to carry concealed weapons, specifically guns.
This week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Chicago's handgun ban has inflamed rhetoric on both sides of the 2nd Amendment issue and the "Town Hall" meeting sponsored by Illinoiscarry.com and the Illinois National Rifle Association was timed perfectly.
The meeting was held at Chicago State University following earlier controversy this week when the Chicago Park District pulled a permit for a meeting inside the Tuley Park field house citing concern there would be too many people
See: Gun rights group says Chicago meeting permit pulled, alleges 1st Amendment violation
Chicago State opened one of its lecture rooms and some 200 people came to hear the panel presentation titled "“An Overdue Conversation with the African American Community.” A show of hands indicated the the crowd was evenly split between those who support conceal/carry and those who oppose it. The leader of the opposition was Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church who arrived with a bus load of opponents.
Since the meeting was sponsored by gun rights proponents, the panel consisted of pro conceal/carry speakers. (See slideshow).
The biggest round of applause came after Gerald Vernon of Illinoiscarry.com put up a rape defense slide from the State Police website in which women facing rape are advised to used keys, nail files or rat tail combs to defend themselves. Vernon asked the crowd, "If nail files and rat tail combs are such effective weapons, how come the State Police choose to use guns?" Vernon also drew laughs when pointing to a line that advises women to stick their fingers down their throats so that they throw up and make themselves less appealing to the rapist.
Other presenters included Patricia Hill, a retired Chicago Police officer and former president of the Afro American Police League; Mike Weisman, 1st vice President of the Illinois chapter of the National Rifle Association; Ken Keith, a retired Cook County Corrections officer; Shawn Gowder, U.S. Army Veteran and Chicago Firearms Safety Association representative; and Nhaka Sevanhu, an emergency Preparedness Instructor and community activist. All voiced their support for the right to carry guns as a means of self defense.
Following the panel presentation, the crowd was given the opportunity to ask questions. Most chose to make statements opposing conceal/carry and any expansion of gun rights. The discussion became heated several times but was never out of control.
The opponents abruptly got up and left the lecture hall when toward the scheduled end of the meeting, organizers pulled out a bucket and asked for donations for the Illinois National Rifle Association.
Comments
"..people in Illinois should be allowed to carry concealed weapons, specifically guns."
They already are "allowed" to do so. You know, "Endowed by their creator.." and all. There are just petty tyrants around that unjustly and unconstitutionally restricting it right now.
I hope Illinois people pass a law for conceal carry. It will save crime victims lives, and crime will go down. Law abiding citizens are not looking for a gun fight. They want to live peacefully.
But gang bangers, rapist, and murders the common criminals that are found everywhere in our country. Have made it a requirement for good people who have common sense to arm themselves to defend what they own, and to defend their God given lives.
{The leader of the opposition was Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church who arrived with a bus load of opponents.}
So ole snuffy is still stirring the do-do in Chicago.
Snuffy should be taking orders from Christ instead of Mayor Daley
Snuffy should be more concerned about men’s souls and leave their guns maybe Chicago wouldn’t have so many homicides
Repeal the FOID
If Pfleger was as concerned about Catholic priest raping little boys as he is in ensuring that I am a helpless victim I think the world (especially for catholic boys) would be a safer place.
Rather a gun in my hand than the police on the telephone
"Snuffy" is a Marxist masquerading as a priest. If Chicagoans get control back of the city and of crime, he looses everything.
Not to worry, the Chicago media will never let that happen!
They like Marx so much that the truth is always a looser in any contest between the two.
What ‘Christian’ has so little respect for his own Creator that he'd refuse to assume the moral obligation and duty to provide, keep and bear arms for his own defense, evade his duty to family and others, and worse yet, ‘oppose’ those who are willing to do what he will not do for himself?
Are Christians of today not guardians of the very philosophy upon which this entire Nation was founded?
Are the freedoms they enjoy not a result of moral men of their own faith, so strong they were willing to sacrifice all they had for the blessings of Life and Liberty?
And while Americans are fighting and dying under arms in foreign lands to liberate the oppressed--some in America won’t so much as bear arms as necessary to defend themselves from the predatory heathens in their own community?
I’ll tell you this.
If Christians won't stand against petty criminals, they'll surely fall when confronted by followers of an ideology committed to converting, enslaving or killing them.
gwIII%
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