Illinois Senate Could Vote On Right To Carry Legislation Friday
In Illinois, right to carry legislation emerged today from the state’s Senate Executive Committee, and could be voted on by the entire chamber as early as tomorrow. Lauren Leone-Cross reported on The State Journal-Register (Springfield) website this afternoon:
A Chicago Democrat’s restrictive concealed-carry legislation made it through a Senate committee Thursday, with opponents vowing again to fight its passage.
The measure, which gives local law enforcement veto power for permits and home-rule municipalities additional say over where people can carry a weapon in public, passed the Senate Executive Committee by a party-line 10-4 vote.
Dave McKinney blogged about Illinois House Bill 183 this afternoon on the Chicago Sun-Times website. On the Sun-Times Politics blog, McKinney wrote:
Within Chicago, [State Senator (D-Chicago) Kwame] Raoul’s legislation would require police Supt. Garry McCarthy to sign off on all concealed-carry applicants before they could get permits from the Illinois State Police, setting up what gun-rights advocates fear would be a choke-point that could keep city gun owners from getting licenses…
Raoul’s bill, which could be voted on by the Senate Friday, also would permit Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and other sheriffs to lodge objections to any concealed-carry applicants that the State Police would have to consider along with 17 other qualifying hurdles.
Among those requirements are the broad standards of whether an applicant demonstrates “good moral character” and whether the issuance of a concealed-carry license to that person is “consistent with public safety.”
Rather than “shall-issue” right to carry, Illinois residents as a whole would be left with “may-issue” right to carry, which some say will result in only a small number of permits being issued- outside of those for family, friends, and campaign donors, according to scuttlebutt. A prominent pro-2nd Amendment group is going so far as to declare the new legislation not even a right to carry bill. Monique Garcia, Rafael Guerrero, and Ray Long reported on the Chicago Tribune website tonight:
Leading the opposition was the National Rifle Association, whose lobbyist delivered a clear message that the bill was so restrictive it could not be properly called a “carry bill.”
“This is a bill to discourage people and prevent people from carrying firearms and exercising their constitutional, fundamental right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in public,” [National Rifle Association's Illinois lobbyist Todd] Vandermyde testified.
Sounds like if this legislation is passed in the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Governor Pat Quinn, it will probably be heading back to the courts. A federal appeals court required Illinois to put a concealed-carry law in place by June 9.
House Bill 183 could come up for a vote in the full Senate tomorrow, Friday, May 17.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
Leone-Cross, Lauren. “Senate panel OKs restrictive gun bill; full chamber could vote Friday.” The State Journal-Register. 16 May 2013. (http://www.sj-r.com/carousel/x1039442731/Illinois-Senate-committee-to-consider-gun-bill). 16 May 2013.
McKinney, Dave. “Senate panel OKs concealed-carry bill over NRA opposition.” Sun-Times Politics. 16 May 2013. (http://blogs.suntimes.com/politics/2013/05/senate_panel_advances_concealed-carry_bill_over_nra_objections.html). 16 May 2013.
Long, Ray, Guerrero, Rafael, and Garcia, Monique. “Concealed carry rules for Illinois emerge but face uncertain fate.” Chicago Tribune. 16 May. 2013. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-concealed-carry-0517-20130517,0,1062260,full.story). 16 May 2013.
Anti-Gun Illinois State Senators Could Force Votes This Week On Flawed Right To Carry, Magazine Ban Legislation
In “Madiganistan,” the push for more gun ‘control’ has become a part of everyday life. These days, anti-gun legislators are looking to severely restrict legal concealed-carry that’s coming to Illinois in less than a month, as well as to impose a 10-round limit on CCW firearm ammunition magazines. From the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action website yesterday:
Illinois: Senate Skirts Right to Carry Mandate by Contemplating Vote on Severely Flawed Bills This Week
This week in Springfield, anti-gun state Senators will attempt to derail Right to Carry by forcing votes on severely flawed Right to Carry legislation and a bill to ban magazines commonly used in carry firearms. This faulty concealed carry legislation attempts to exempt Chicago and Cook County from any “shall-issue” mandate and allow individual towns to expand the list of places statewide that are off-limits to anyone concealed carrying. If such exemptions are adopted, 40% of Illinois’ population could be denied the ability to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense based on their residency and the confusing patchwork of laws will put ALL gun owners statewide at risk of felony prosecution. Call your state Senator TODAY: Tell him or her that any compromise and vote in favor of this type of legislation to abandon 40% of the Illinois population is a vote against Right to Carry.
Also imminent is a vote on banning magazines commonly used in concealed carry firearms. The bill number is not yet available, but the legislation seeks to impose an arbitrary ten-round limit. Restrictions on magazine capacity only limit the ability of law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves effectively and would ban numerous commonly used standard capacity magazines.
It is imperative that you contact your state Senator NOW and respectfully tell him or her to support “Shall-Issue” Right to Carry without carve-outs and exceptions for municipalities, and to oppose any magazine bans. With Right to Carry in jeopardy, state legislators need to be reminded that “Shall-Issue” carry is the best move for Illinois. In a state with an excessive crime problem, Illinois citizens need to be able to defend themselves against the criminals and gang members who will not obey ANY laws. Our constitutional right to keep and bear arms and inherent right to self-defense protect all Americans, not just some in a particular state, city or county. State legislators have a responsibility to their constituents to NOT choose politics over a perfect chance to make Illinois a safer place for ALL residents.
Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Chicago ‘Magnificent Mile’ Robbery Latest In Series Of Criminal Incidents By Young People Downtown
(Editor’s note: According to the Chicago news media tonight, the Chicago Police Department is saying the following robbery story is unfounded. How much is untrue still remains to be seen.)
Here’s a headline that’s sure to make Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel cringe today:
“Woman robbed of $200K worth of jewelry on Mag Mile”
From the WGN Chicago Web Desk last night:
A 69-year-old woman was robbed of as much as $200,000 in jewelry, cash and other items by a group of young men in front of a North Michigan Avenue department store this afternoon, authorities said…
The woman… was robbed by a group of at least three and as many and eight young men, law enforcement sources said…
The woman told police the group surrounded her, and demanded her money and jewelry.
John Garcia added on the ABC Chicago website this morning:
It happened around noontime in the middle of a crowded sidewalk…
Authorities say there were as many as ten young men in the group. They reportedly threatened her, but she gave up the valuables and was not hurt.
It is the latest in a series of criminal incidents involving groups of young people on North Michigan Avenue.
In March, police arrested dozens of young men and women who gathered in the area and were allegedly attacking shoppers and police.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
WGN Chicago is reporting that the Chicago Police Department is not classifying Wednesday’s incident as being a “flash mob.” But like I blogged Tuesday:
Still, if I were an urban dweller/visitor in that part of the city, I wouldn’t let my guard down for an instant. They shouldn’t be doing that anyway, especially as the more-established criminal element in the city is probably well-aware of the ongoing manpower shortage in the Chicago Police Department.
As for City Hall? They’re probably wishing May 19 had already arrived.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
“Woman robbed of $200K worth of jewelry on Mag Mile.” Chicago Tribune. 15 May 2013. (http://wgntv.com/2013/05/15/woman-robbed-of-200k-worth-of-jewelry-on-mag-mile/). 16 May 2013.
Garcia, John. “Woman robbed of jewelry, thousands in cash on Michigan Avenue.” ABC Chicago. 16 May 2013. (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9104284). 16 May 2013.
Robert Shiller: 10 Years From Now, ‘Home Prices Will Be About Where They Are Now, In Real Terms’
I can’t believe it’s been 8 months since I last blogged about Yale economist and housing expert Robert Shiller. Back on September 18, I wrote that Dr. Shiller, who was out there in the mid-2000s warning anyone who would listen about the housing bubble and subsequent crash, wasn’t sure residential real estate in the United States had bottomed-out just yet, noting there already had been 4 attempts at a housing recovery since the subprime crisis struck.
On April 30, Robert Shiller appeared on Yahoo! Finance’s business show The Daily Ticker. Speaking to host Henry Blodget, Dr. Shiller had this to say about where he thought home prices were heading:
BLODGET: And so you have studied home prices going back hundreds of years. You’ve watched the bubble form here. You called the top of that. You called the crash. What do you think will happen to house prices over the next 5 to 10 years?
SHILLER: Yeah, well I wrote several New York Times columns about this. I think it’s hard to say. It could go up. It could go down. You know, in the 20th century, typically, in a decade, real inflation-corrected home prices went up 15 percent or down 15 percent. Usually not because of any bubble or anything like that. It’s just supply and demand, right? The existing home stock might be in the wrong location and the economy is moving somewhere else. So it loses value. Or, then it might be some new interest in owning a home. These things are hard to predict.But my guess that is, 10 years from now, home prices will be about where they are now, in real terms.
Dr. Shiller also had this nugget for real estate investors:
So it looks like there’s a tilt toward rentals. What that suggests to me that if you want to invest in housing, you want to look toward housing that is suitable for conversion to rental.
You can watch the entire interview on the Yahoo! Finance site here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Major Terrorist Attack On U.S. ‘Within Weeks’?
I stumbled on the following article on the website of WND (formerly WorldNetDaily), an independent news company. Reza Kahlili wrote Monday:
Iran has given the go-ahead to operatives of three terrorist groups that have infiltrated the United States to carry out missions, including what is expected to be a Mumbai-style attack on a hotel where innocent bystanders would be killed, WND has learned…
Three targets have been chosen within America for imminent attack, and the terror teams have now cut communications with the operational center in Iran, a sign that they are moving ahead with the attacks, according to a high-level intelligence officer within the Islamic regime.
According to an update to the piece Tuesday, Kahili’s “source” revealed the major attack would take place “within weeks.”
Interesting reading (can’t speak for how reliable the information provided is though), which can be viewed in its entirety on the WND site here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Illinois State Rifle Association Call For Action
Speaking of heat, from the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) the other day:
ACTION ALERT – THE HEAT WILL BE ON THIS WEEK
YOUR ACTION NEEDED – YOU MUST MAKE CALLS TO SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES
As June 9th grows nearer, a lot of attention will be focused on the General Assembly’s efforts to comply with the court order to enact concealed carry. As important as passing shall-issue concealed carry is, gun owners should not let the carry issue distract them from other efforts already underway to diminish their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
Those of you who have been following the topic of gun control this year know that there are some key items on the gun-grabbers’ legislative wish list. Among the crown jewels are the ban and confiscation of semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns; the ban and confiscation of standard capacity magazines; the registration of lawful gun owners; and the mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms. The gun controllers claim that these measures are necessary to protect public safety. Of course, firearm owners know that these measures are designed strictly for the purpose of punishing people who dare to own a gun.
A glimpse of what we may soon be facing was provided by a front-page feature in the latest Sunday edition of the “Chicago Tribune.” In that story, we learned of a single mom so desperate for cash that she volunteered to become a straw purchaser for hardened criminals who were prohibited from purchasing firearms. She was eventually caught and is now serving a multi-year prison term for her misdeeds.
As far as gun owners are concerned, the hapless straw purchaser is right where she belongs – jail. Interestingly, the author of the piece spins the story to suggest that the woman is in jail not because of her decision to commit crimes, but because the “gun lobby” has fought against legislation supposedly designed to combat straw-purchasing. Once again, the notion is put forth that muggers, mass murderers, and straw purchasers only commit crimes because the “gun lobby” lets them. In this case, it’s gun owners’ fault that this mom is in jail rather at than home with her kids.
In short, it seems that the purpose of the straw purchase story is to promote legislation requiring gun owners to report “lost or stolen” firearms to the police within a short time of them being lost or stolen. As is often the case, such legislation may sound good on the surface. But, the devil is in the details, and those details place an undue burden on firearm owners. Such proposals may be fine in theory, but problematic in practice.
So, here is what you need to do to help ensure passage of shall-issue concealed carry and prevent passage of extremist gun control proposals:
1. Call your State Representative and your State Senator. Politely tell the person who answers the phone that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner and that you would like the senator or representative to vote for “shall-issue” concealed carry and vote against “may-issue” concealed carry. Likewise, advise the person that you oppose any proposal that would diminish your right to keep and bear arms and expect the legislator to oppose such measures as well. If you do not know who your representative or senator is, the Illinois State Board of Elections has an interactive search page here:
www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspxIf you already know who your legislators are and just need the contact info, you can find that here: www.ilga.gov/house/. and here: www.ilga.gov/senate/.
2. Pass this alert on to your friends and family and ask them to make calls as well.
3. Post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.
FURTHER ACTION
The Will County Board will vote on a resolution in favor of Concealed Carry this coming Thursday at 9:30 in the Will County Office Building, 2nd Floor, 302 N. Chicago Avenue, Joliet. It’s important that firearm owners show up for the vote to show their support for the measure. Plan on being there at 9:00 AM so that you can get a seat.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Chicago: 2 Dead, 11 Wounded In Shootings As Temp Soars To 91 Degrees
On Tuesday, the temperature at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago soared to 91 degrees.
Shootings predictably picked up as well.
From Rosemary Regina Sobol and Adam Sege on the Chicago Tribune website this morning:
Two men were killed and at least 11 people were wounded — one of them by police — in shootings from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning across Chicago, police said.
The Chicago Sun-Times wins the award for being more insightful, recognizing what appears to be a correlation here in the “Windy City” between rising temperatures and more shootings. From their website last night:
Two men were killed and at least 10 other people were wounded in gun violence across the city from Tuesday afternoon until early Wednesday.
The outbreak of shootings came after a two-week period of relative calm and, once again, coincided with an improvement in the weather, with Tuesday temperatures hovering in the upper 80s.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
The pick-up in gun-related violence may last for quite a bit longer now as the Weather Channel website is calling for at least 70 degree weather in Chicago until next Tuesday, reversing the unseasonably-colder temps Chicagoans were subjected to this spring.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
Sege, Adam and Sobol, Rosemary Regina. “2 dead, 11 wounded in shootings across Chicago.” Chicago Tribune. 15 May. 2013. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-2-men-shot-in-south-shore-neighborhood-20130514,0,3117824.story). 15 May 2013.
“2 dead, 10 injured in shootings across city.” Chicago Sun-Times. 14 May 2013. (http://www.suntimes.com/20116712-761/2-dead-10-injured-in-shootings-across-city.html). 15 May 2013.
CampingSurvival.com Mountain House Food Sale Ending
Survival And Prosperity readers may have noticed the new ads in the right sidebar from CampingSurvival.com since last month. I’ve heard lots of good things about this Fulton, New York-based source for camping supplies, survival gear, and survival food, and could be establishing a “permanent” affiliate marketing relationship with the 100 percent veteran-owned, “A+” Better Business Bureau accredited outfit shortly.
As the current ad shows, CampingSurvival.com has a huge sale going on right now on Mountain House food products: 25 percent off #10 cans and 15 percent off pouches and long-term buckets.
Not familiar with the Mountain House brand? From CampingSurvival.com:
Mountain House, the #1 brand of freeze dried backpacking foods has been the choice of backpackers, hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts for over 30 years. When it comes to long term food storage, emergency preparedness and recreational activities like camping, hiking, backpacking and hunting, Mountain House is the #1 choice. That’s because Mountain House has been recognized as the best tasting freeze dried meals. Mountain House, is convenient, easy to prepare and has a long shelf life. Mountain House is the premier emergency food supply with all of the best tasting emergency food entrees.
Remember, the massively-discounted sale of Mountain House foods ends tomorrow, Wednesday, May 15.
I’m told by the folks at CampingSurvival.com this is a “pretty special” event and doesn’t happen often. Check it out and grab some bargain-priced freeze-dried food while you still can!
By clicking on the following banner ad you will be taken to the company’s website where you can find out more information about the sale.
Sale Ended! Visit CampingSurvival.com to view other specials.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Pandemic Potential? H7N9 Bird Flu And Novel Coronavirus
Back on April 19, I asked if readers were paying attention to the spread of the H7N9 bird flu virus in China.
That followed a similar post from February 18 about the novel coronavirus (nCoV).
Here’s the latest regarding these deadly respiratory viruses. From the CBS News website Monday morning:
Two outbreaks of new, deadly respiratory infections in two different parts of the world have international health officials on edge, actively researching how to stay head of the new diseases.
In recent months, an outbreak of a new strain of bird flu called H7N9 has hit China while a new coronavirus that first appeared last year has been infecting an increasing number of people in the Middle East — and now Europe.
Last week, the coronavirus related to SARS spread to France, where one patient who probably caught the disease in Dubai infected his hospital roommate. Officials are now trying to track down everyone who went on a tour group holiday to Dubai with the first patient as well as all contacts of the second patient. Since it was first spotted last year, the new coronavirus has infected 34 people, killing 18 of them. Nearly all had some connection to the Middle East.
CBS ran a follow-up article about the novel coronavirus this afternoon. From that later piece:
Saudi Arabia has confirmed four new cases of a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS that appears centered in the Arabian Peninsula but that has also been reported in Europe…
Other cases have appeared in France, Germany and Britain, possibly linked to travel in the Gulf region.
While the novel coronavirus has infected 34 and killed 18 since last September, the H7N9 bird flu strain in China has infected 131 and killed 32 since March.
So, do either of these viruses have pandemic potential? Possibly. Consider what the World Health Organization (WHO) said in Monday’s CBS piece:
WHO, which is closely monitoring the viruses, says both have the potential to cause a pandemic — a global epidemic — if they evolve into a form easily spread between people.
So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case. And luckily for us, there are no reports of anyone in United States getting infected and sick with either H7N9 or the novel coronavirus.
Just as well, as there are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by the novel coronavirus, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. However, the CDC does say this about treating illnesses caused by the H7N9 avian flu:
CDC received an H7N9 virus sample from China on April 11. Antiviral resistance testing on the first virus isolate at CDC has been completed and indicates that this virus would be sensitive (susceptible) to the two influenza antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu: the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®)
For more information about these viruses, you can visit the CDC website here (novel coronavirus) and here (H7N9).
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
“Coronavirus and bird flu: Scientists tracking outbreaks of two new infections.” Associated Press. 13 May 2013. (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57584184/coronavirus-and-bird-flu-scientists-tracking-outbreaks-of-two-new-infections/). 14 May 2013.
“New coronavirus infects four more in Saudi Arabia.” Associated Press. 14 May 2013. (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57584412/new-coronavirus-infects-four-more-in-saudi-arabia/). 14 May 2013.
3 Powerful X-Class Flares Erupt From Sun In Last 24 Hours
“Solar flares are giant explosions on the Sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space. These flares are often associated with CMEs. The number of solar flares increases approximately every 11 years, and the Sun is currently moving towards another solar maximum, likely in 2013… The biggest flares are known as “X-class flares” based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength… If they’re directed at Earth, such flares and associated CMEs can create long lasting radiation storms that can harm satellites, communications systems and even ground-based technologies and power grids.”
-Mark Paquette, in his Astronomy Blog on AccuWeather.com, August 10, 2011
A number of strong solar flares have been popping-off on the Sun in the last 24 hours. From the website of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
Original Story: May 13
On May 12, 2013, the sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 10 p.m. EDT. This flare is classified as an X1.7, making it the first X-class flare of 2013. The flare was also associated with another solar phenomenon, called a coronal mass ejection (CME) that can send solar material out into space. This CME was not Earth-directed.
First Update: May 13, 1:30 p.m. EDT
On May 13, 2013, the sun emitted an X2.8-class flare, peaking at 12:05 p.m. EDT. This is the the strongest X-class flare of 2013 so far, surpassing in strength the X1.7-class flare that occurred 14 hours earlier. It is the 16th X-class flare of the current solar cycle and the third-largest flare of that cycle.
Second Update: May 13, 3:30 p.m. EDT
The X2.8-class flare was also associated with a coronal mass ejection, or CME, another solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space, which can potentially affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. The CME was not Earth-directed.
Third Update: May 14, 9 a.m. EDT
The sun emitted a third significant solar flare in under 24 hours, peaking at 9:11 p.m. EDT on May 13, 2013. This flare is classified as an X3.2 flare. This is the strongest X-class flare of 2013 so far, surpassing in strength the two X-class flares that occurred earlier in the 24-hour period.
The flare was also associated with a coronal mass ejection, or CME. The CME began at 9:30 p.m. EDT and was not Earth-directed.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
I first blogged about solar flares and CMEs- and the potential dangers associated with them- back in August 2011.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Source:
“Three X-class Flares in 24 Hours.” NASA. 14 May 2013. (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News051213-flare.html). 14 May 2013.
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