Right to Carry Assn. - stay or go?

The McHenry County Right to Carry Association met tonight at the Woodstock VFW.

About 25 people attended tonight's meeting, thanks to an email that went out to 100+. The Secretary, Treasurer and Vice-President have resigned. The President is going to resign. A Motion was made to elect a new Board, but the President would not allow a vote. The President said the organization will become a virtual organization (no meetings) and probably disband. Members present tonight want the MCR2CA to continue and benefit from its 3-year history. The Annual Report, due in December, needs to be filed ($10) to bring the NFP corporation back into Good Standing with the Ill. Secretary of State. Efforts to rescue the organization and continue it will continue.

It was unclear to many why the President, Dave Roberts, and the founder, Lou Rofrano, want to close up shop. Dave and Lou say the work is done; i.e., the only purpose of the group was to get the McHenry County elected state representatives to vote for concealed carry and that happened when the House took a preliminary vote on May 5, 2011. Two of the McHenry County state-level elected officials were already on Board, and Jack Franks did vote YEA on HB 0148 on May 5, 2011.

I was at the town hall meeting of MCR2CA on January 21, 2010, in Lakemoor. I always believed this organization was formed to get a concealed carry law passed in Illinois. That has not happened yet.

There is much work that MCR2CA can do to help get a good concealed carry law passed. It does no good for us McHenry County residents to call Cook County Democratic state reps.

What will do some good is if we work with other organizations to identify people within the districts of the Cook County Democratic state reps who will call their own legislators and demand a concealed carry bill. People who live in Chicago and in Cook County outside of Chicago must be tired of living in fear of gun violence. They want to feel safe. They want to be safe.

Throughout the United States it has been proven that more guns (in the hands of law-abiding, trained citizens) means less crime. Police officials all over the USA have realized that their fears about concealed carry did not materialize.

MCR2CA can be an effective organization with new leadership that has the time and energy to work and to communicate with the members.