Tempers flared in the Illinois General Assembly yesterday as die-hard leftists tried one last time to push through a highly-restrictive “may issue” carry bill and met with a humiliating and overwhelming defeat.
It was a smack-down of epic proportions, in fact.
The “may issue” proposal was hailed by the Chicago media and so-called “moderate” Illinois House members as a “great compromise” to all Illinois to comply with the Seventh Circuit decision requiring Illinois to join 49 other states with carry laws, while at the same time offering a de facto means for local authorities to deny licensing people for arbitrary or capricious reasons – and allowing these same local municipalities to ban carry in their cities, creating a massive patchwork of laws and rendering the bill effectively worthless.
So, what happened?
As we mentioned, tempers flared and the Illinois House sounded a lot like the British Parliament’s House of Commons for a while.
Springfield (Watchdog.org) – …Tempers raged in the Illinois House Thursday as lawmakers debated a last-minute plan to have the state adopt “may issue” concealed carry permits.
“All of this nonsense and two-facedness from the other side of the aisle,” Democratic state Rep. Scott Drury declared after listening to Republicans argue against a plan to let the state and local police decide if someone should be allowed to carry a gun. “It’s nonsense.”
That touched off a torrent of yelling and screaming from Republicans, most notably state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, an adamant gun rights supporter.
To which Drury added “We don’t want someone like that carrying a concealed weapon.”
House Republicans then bellowed out a chorus of boos and catcalls.
The scene bordered on getting out of control. State Rep. Al Riley, D-Hazel Crest, who was moderating the floor debate, threatened to call in House doorkeepers to clear the chamber or restore order.
In the end, the “May Issue” bill received just 31 votes, barely half of what it needed for passage. As we mentioned, it was a monumental failure for leftists who favor gun control.
Debate continues this morning and into this afternoon over a shall-issue bill. We’ll keep you up to speed as we can.
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