Sheriffs' support faulty

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association came out in favor of concealed carry in Illinois - sort of. And Sheriff Nygren stood up at a large meeting of the McHenry County Right-to-Carry group and said the sheriffs favored concealed carry - which they do, sort of. What he didn't say (was it last April?) was, did he favor concealed carry.

I do favor concealed carry, and without the reservations of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association!

I favor "shall issue" and the decision's being in the hands of the Illinois State Police.

Look what happened in Iowa, when a sheriff attempted to avoid issuing a concealed carry permit to an Iowa activist:

Paul Dorr is a political activist. He must have bugged Osceola County (Iowa) Sheriff Douglas Weber the wrong way. Maybe just being the father of the founder of Iowa Gun Owners was enough to attract the ire of Sheriff Weber.

Dorr sued, and a Federal judge ordered the Osceola County Sheriff to issue a concealed handgun permit to him and take a remedial course on Free Speech and the 1st Amendment.

According to a press release of the National Association for Gun Rights (www.nagr.org), "Sheriff Weber testified that he denied Dorr’s permit application because of Dorr's political activities and views."

Yikes! Well, at least he told the truth in court.

The press release continued, "In the ruling Federal District Judge Mark Bennett said: 'In denying Paul a concealed weapons permit, Sheriff Weber single-handedly hijacked the First Amendment and nullified its freedoms and protections. Ironically, Sheriff Weber, sworn to uphold the Constitution, in fact retaliated against a citizen of his county who used this important freedom of speech and association precisely in the manner envisioned by the founding members of our nation...'

"As a result of his outrageous infringement upon Mr. Dorr’s rights, Sheriff Weber was ordered by Judge Bennett to complete a college level course on the U.S. Constitution, “including -- at least in part -- a discussion of the First Amendment.”

"Sheriff Weber is also required to file an affidavit proving his completion of the course with the court."

What does this have to do with Illinois, other than Iowa is "the state to the left" (in Star 105.5 DJ parlance).

The position of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association (ISA) is that the sheriff should have the authority to review an application for concealed carry, if the State legislators ever get around to passing a concealed carry law in Illinois. The ISA's 2/3/2009 Resolution included, "Applications should be processed by the Sheriff's office including the ability of the Sheriff to articulate specific reasons why the permit should be denied and those objections should be considered by the state before issuing a permit."

In a survey of its members, 79 sheriffs had responded, and 90% of those 79 favored concealed carry. As I recall, I was previously told that 65 sheriffs (out of 102 in the state) were present at the Winter 2009 Conference. A majority of those "voting" on the Resolution approved it. So, as few as 33 sheriffs (possibly, even fewer) could have gotten this Resolution through. No count was kept by the ISA of the vote.

Was Keith Nygren present at the vote, and how did he vote, if he was present?

Just imagine what would happen if I applied for a concealed carry permit now, if state law permitted. Would I have to call up Mr. Dorr and get his lawyer's name?