Fed up with the control the Chicago machine has exercised over Illinois state politics in general and firearms laws specifically, Pike County has voted to legalize concealed carry effective immediately. The measure was approved on March 20 by a 3,214 to 550 margin in what outdoorwire.com calls one of the largest voter turnouts in county history. “Historians have stated that this is the first time since 1862 that county voters in any U.S. state have explicitly reversed a state law. The previous example was when the five western counties of Virginal nullified that state’s secession from the Union, and themselves seceded from Virginia to form the new state of West Virginia.” As you might expect, this one is destined for judicial review. To say the least. Because of the conflict with state law, “legal observers . . .expect the inevitable court battle to be complex, because the new ordinance was enacted by the voters themselves, not by any county or local legislative entity.”

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40 COMMENTS

  2. But, but, but, there will be blood flowing in the streets. Shootouts over parking spots. Chaos in the county. Fender Bender trigger finger fights on the roadways. OMG ARMAGEDDON is HERE! Gather your family and HIDE! Oh, wait. that never happened when any state passed Constitutional Carry.

    This was three days ago, I wonder why Brady isn’t doing the panty twist. Maybe they’re too busy dancing in blood somewhere.

    • Ah… that probably explains why Vermont is so lightly populated. Since they have so few gun laws, constant shootouts have either killed them off or made them move to a “safer” state, like New York…

  4. I know it’s a bit unmanly, but I giggle like a little girl when I read stories like this one.

  5. It doesn’t reverse a state law. Concealed carry is still illegal, even in Pike. It was a referendum simply asking the electorate if the county should adopt a concealed carry ordinance. The county board still has to meet to draft and pass an ordinance, and that would be very quickly challenged by the Illinois Attorney General (a hardline anti-gun democrat) and Illinois State Police.

    • whose brother in law (Blago) just started a 14 yr sentence. yeah – she is real credible and needs to watch her (political) ass. She’s next.

      • Wait, wait, wait… you’re going to talk about Lisa Madigan, daughter of Michael Madigan, who basically runs Illinois. Lisa Madigan, who became the Attorney General fresh out of law school, not a single case under her belt. Daughter of the man who opposed Blago every step of the way every time he tried to do something decent…. and you’re going to connect her to Blago?

  6. One down, 100 to go. I think Illinois residents might have to settle for a NY style CCW law. CCW is legal in the state of NY with a state issued permit except in NYC itself. Allowing CCW in Illinois with the exception of Chicago/Cook County would be a fair compromise considering they have no CCW right now.

    • Ultimately, NY State vs. NY City carry laws will not pass Constitutional scrutiny vis a vis the 14th Amendment protections for privileges or immunities, equal protection or due process.

      “Allowing CCW in Illinois with the exception of Chicago/Cook County would be a fair compromise considering they have no CCW right now.” Actually, it’s a pretty crappy compromise. But we’ll take what we can get for now and it’s a step heading in the right direction.

      • I lived in Florida, I still have the Florida permit. I moved to Indiana, which like Florida is an “own what you want, we don’t care” state. Then I moved to South Dakota, where the official policy is: with no fellony conviction, and a $10 CCW, you can own a machine gun and walk down the street with it if you like. Now it looks like I will be moving to Illinois and I’m trying to figure out were I’m going to store my guns when I leave South Dakota. So if Illinois can get an “everywhere but Chicago” CCW passed that I’ll take it. Because right now, I have sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that for the first time in my adult life I will be fully disarmed becuse I committed the heinous crime of moving to Illinois.

        • Don’t forget to get your FOID when you get here. And depending on what county/city certain restrictions on magazines and such apply.

          Good luck.

        • Why the hell would you move to someplace where you have to give up your rights to simply exist? I would rather dumpster dive for dinner than give Rahm another peon to lord it over.

  7. Did they consult with Rahmbo before taking this vote? Apparently not. This could result in horse heads in beds.

  9. One county doing this is a big step. But multiple counties doing this would really make a statement of what the citizens of Illinois think.

    • Most of IL south of I80 would vote similarly. An avalanche of pissed off gun owners landing on Chicago would be nice.

  11. I think this is great and it happened in the President’s Home State. I am snickering with laughter.
    I live next to Illinois, and down state, people are about like they are in Indiana. Actually, down state Illinois does not really like the Chicago area very much.
    A good feel about down state attitudes on guns can be found at Randy Wakeman Outdoors and some of his essays.

    • I live in Illinois northwest of Chicago. My county is conservative and pro second amendment. I have been contacting people I know to see how hard it would be to get this on our ballot too. It may be that the only way for Illinois to finally have common sense and constitutional gun laws is county by county; the domino effect. We are not all like Chicago, trust me. That’s why they should be their own state. Bunch of liberals.

  12. The state is the sovereign, not the county. A county law that contradicts state law is null and void.

    I’m glad that the county voters stuck up for their rights. Maybe it will motivate the rest of the state. Until there’s a groundswell throughout Illinois supporting CCW, the Pike County vote is merely a gesture.

    • True, it’s just a gesture, but it’s a gesture of how the populace feels, not how their elected officials feel, or how the elected officials might like to think they feel. If enough jurisdictions feel this way and make that clear, it becomes harder and harder for the politicians to do what they want without repercussion.

      • Their elected reps feel the same way–but Chicago with its massive population has more representatives, all of whom tow the party line (or else).That is the only reason things haven’t changed yet–the Chicago veto.

    • Actually the citizens are sovereign under the constitution and bill of rights but we, actually our “law makers” and their judicial “appointments,” have chosen to eliminate them by statute and simply ignore them.

  13. The only way to break Chicago’s control over the rest of Illinois is for most of Illinois to secede, to divide into two states.
    The state of Chicago and the state of Illinois (containing all of what was Illinois except Chicago and its major suburbs)

    The southern counties do not need Chicago’s permission to secede, only a majority vote within each county that wants to secede.

  14. 3214 to 550 – that is what I would call a winning score. Are ther enough of us to pass a repeal of the NFA?

  15. Thats right next door to where I live. We are going to do the same thing here in Brown County, and hopefully it will snowball into something. We are just a few votes shy of a veto proof majority in the Illinois House for a Concealed Carry victory. It WILL happen, Republicans and downstate Democrats are mostly united for the cause. Chicago can’t stall us off for ever.

  16. Look, the Democrat party has always been the party of slavery. After the civil war, they just recaptured slaves with freebies in large cities all over America. The whole reason why the Chicago machine opposes guns in civilian hands is that the power of the machine is maintained by the inner city voting plantations of dependents living on the city teat. The machine keeps them doped up, pregnant and barefoot and sees to it that they must attend totally incompetent schools so none can escape the plantations. The last thing the plantation overseers want is to arm the inmates. Chicago will do whatever it takes to bitch slap the rest of the state into submission because it cannot afford not to.

    Your state tax dollars are confiscated to support this murderous mess in Chicago and evidently the people of Illinois generally lost their spine many years ago. I am glad some Illinois residents have stood up like grownups. We shall see what happens next.

  17. Good for Pike County.

    The US Constitution states that powers not explicitly given the Federal Government reside with the few States or the people.

    Well, here is the People exercising their natural rights.

    And you don’t want to make Chicago a state. Do you really want Chicago to have 2 Senators in the US Senate and the Representatives in the House? I think not.

    This would be tantamount to giving Chicago the same power as the State of Florida or the State of Texas. Perish the thought.

    Better yet, chicago (yeah, little “c”) should be broken up into 7 to 8 comparably sized towns or small cities with their own local government system.
    Chop it up into little pieces – dilute their strength by killing off their majority numbers.

    • Chicago politicians depend on the rest of the state to support (pay for) their vote buying giveaways. Desert and leave them to pay their own way and see how long it takes for the masses who have been bribed to keep the noise down turn on the elite who lord over them.

  19. This will be very interesting. I would think it all comes down to: 1. What does the Illinois Constitution says? [and more importantly] 2. Who appointed most of the Judges on the Ill. Supreme Court? Given that this is Ill. it is a pretty good bet that the appointing Executive is now in prison, but will the Judges stay bought?

  20. although it is not a law and just a referendum, its important because it shows the huge disconnect between Springfield and the people of Illinois. I currently live in crook county and am desperately trying to buy a home in either lake or kane county. I would like to move further south but I’m tied to work in Northern suburbs. The good news is Illinois has been taking baby steps for the last couple of years towards the right to carry, and we are now starting to take a little bit bigger steps. keep up the fight ladies and gents!

  21. I’d like to see government derive its just powers from the consent of the governed. If the cities or the feds can decide willy-nilly which laws on the books they are actually going to bother enforcing (illegal immigration sanctuary cities, DOMA, Fast and Furious) why should it be any different at the county level?

    Rule of law in the U.S. of A is a dead letter to the feds, it’s just that most of us don’t realize it yet. If you believe differently, let me know when they jail Jon Corzine.

  24. It is still not legal in Pike county to carry. It will not be legal until it passes at the state level. The police in the county have already warned residents that they will be arrested if they carry a concealed firearm which would lead to a felony arrest. All of these websites have to stop reporting that they can carry. You are going to get some people in trouble.

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