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Illinois state Senator Don Harmon

By Chris Herzog

In a continuing effort to prepare for blood running in the streets of the Land of Lincoln, the Illinois Association of Realtors late last week distributed a consent form that real estate firms and their agents can present, if they choose, to sellers so homeowners can make it clear whether or not they would allow a potential buyer with a concealed firearm inside their property. In the event a seller decides to prohibit guns, an agent would put the state-authorized no-guns sign outside of the home during all showings and open houses . . . [WARNING: Annoying auto-play video after the jump.]


In an admission that this is a non-problem in the rest of the United States, chicagotribune.com reports that the group actually acknowledged that this is the first time any Realtor group has done anything like this, anywhere:

In developing the consent form, the Realtors’ group found no examples of real estate groups in other states taking such steps, but members of its task force found little evidence that concealed carry was the hot-button issue in other states that it has been in Illinois, the last state to allow concealed carry of guns.

It’s obvious that Illinois residents are more maniacal than residents of any other state and would likely resort to the use a gun if they felt their real estate transaction was going “bad.” It’s only the fact that people haven’t been able to legally carry guns to this point that’s prevented the radical thinning of the Realtor herd by sellers and purchasers gone house-crazy.

“Our offices, as a whole, we’d prefer people not come in with guns, especially if they’re having a bad transaction, if we’re showing them in our cars, and our sellers, our homeowners, would probably prefer people aren’t coming into their homes with weapons,” said John Matthews, managing broker of Baird & Warner, Oak Park.

If you’ll remember, Oak Park cut a relatively large check for legal fees to the NRA after losing the fight regarding their handgun ban so it’s not surprising that this issue has come up again. Just last week, a TTAG article referenced an Oak Park resident mom who was concerned that even the images of guns on the Illinois state-mandated no CCW signs were going to “traumatize” their children.

However, he added, “If someone was coming in to do bad deeds, they could care less if the concealed carry sign was there or not. if it’s a comfort level for agents and homeowners, I would say put the sign out.”

So even Matthews recognizes the futility of this and how the gun-free designation only impacts people who follow the law. But I’ll bet in his market, he’d be hesitant to push the point because it might make people less “comfortable”. Seeing that agents are often-times women and are frequently show properties or host open houses alone, it’s hard to see why they wouldn’t want the option to carry for their own protection.

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48 COMMENTS

  3. Are you freaking kidding me?! Boy, when it comes to conceal carry people lose brain cells and automatically go into fear mode. The people that are checking out the houses for sale who conceal carry are just like the one’s who don’t conceal carry. MESSAGE TO ALL WHO FEAR, CCW HOLDERS ARE NOT THE ONE’S TO WORRY ABOUT!

    • I was just thinking that. They really don’t understand that the difference is between concealed carriers and people who are bent on murdering random strangers.

    • OK, so if I am going to commit a crime, I will know which houses are safe for me to break into. Those signs scream “HEY I DON’T LIKE GUNS, AND I HAVE NO WAY TO DEFEND MYSELF OR FAMILY COME ON IN”. would you rather break into a house with a sign that states that no guns are allowed, or the sign that says NRA Life Member? I realize that criminals are not smart, but even a liberal could figure this one out.

  4. OH GOD YOUR GUN STORY IS TRYING TO SIGN ME UP FOR OBAMACARE!

    I would rather have 10 strangers I knew had CC permits in my home then 1 stranger without…and my homes not even for sale!

    • Rather have 10 random guys(gals) with CHL, than 10 random cops in my house. The CHL guys aren’t going to shoot my dog cause he tried to play with them.

  5. Illinois hasn’t exercised legal recognition of the 2nd Amendment in over forty years.

    Entire generations of people in northwest Illinois have grown up in a leftist, disarmed bubble. Cut off from the Constitution and logic, they only thing they know about guns is what Chuck Goudie said on Channel 7. Now that the dome is coming down, there’s gonna be some transition pains until the hoplophobic old guard dies off.

    • ST understands the issue, even if he doesn’t understand geography.

      CC licenses are just now arriving in the mail. It will take a good six months without blood in the streets before those in the previously disarmed bubble begin to develop more realistic expectations.

  6. A little over 10% of Illinois residents are gun owners.

    Clearly, most of the 90% aren’t as bright as residents of Kentucky or Indiana, where it seems 90% of residents are gun owners.

    John

  8. What does this remind me of? Oh yeah. “We can’t let their kind move in here.” More and more it is plain that the issue of guns is the civil rights issue of this decade.

    I’m betting we’ll have nationwide constitutional carry by 2020.

  9. Of course, this begs the next question: Can a home seller also disallow potential buyers based on other characteristics they don’t approve of?

    Feel free to rewrite the form and fill in your favorite minority/special interest group – and see if that situation would likely pass muster in a court of law…

    • Makes for a great Mad Lib. Here’s the actual text from their consent form, ready to ostracize the group of your choice. Enjoy!

      ILLINOIS “______” CONSENT
      Pursuant to the Illinois “______” Act (Public Act 980063), a residential property owner has the right to determine whether a person “______” onto an owner’s property. The purpose of this Illinois “______” Consent form is to ensure that your Brokerage Company, hereinafter referred to as “Sponsoring Broker” is informed of any decisions you have made concerning the “______” on your residential property. Please initial the one sentence which appears below which best expresses your directive concerning the “______” on your residential property.
      _____ 1. I authorize the “______” on my residential property.
      _____ 2. I prohibit the “______” on my residential property.
      If you elect to prohibit the “______” on your residential property, the Sponsoring Broker will place authorized signage at the entrance to your residential property at the time of all showings and open houses and will require that Sponsoring Broker’s employees and licensees observe your directive. Sponsoring Broker assumes no other duty than those duties expressly set forth herein and disclaims any and all responsibility for any personal injury or property damage caused by any guest or invitee who enters your premises.

  10. Isn’t it already hard enough to sell a house already? With some realtors practically giving away free beer to get people to come to an open house, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to purposely limit your audience.

    • Yeah that’s what I don’t understand… somehow I doubt there is a glut of people wanting to sell their homes but waiting for that perfect gun-control sign to be put up by a realtor.

    • Some people bake cookies, some people put out air freshners and play soft music while showing a home. Here in the Windy City we frisk you at the door and put up warning signs.

      That’s the way to sell a house! 🙂

  13. Having dealt with both Crips and real estate brokers, I can state affirmatively that you’ll get more honesty and decency from a single Crip than a thousand real estate brokers.

  14. As a recently retired broker in Arkansas, our big problem was perps setting traps for lady real estate agents. We set up a policy that ladies that feared showings in isolated or remote areas could have a CC male agent accompany them. Sellers were generally not concerned with anything but getting their house sold. You could show up with a bazooka as long as you had the cash.

  15. It’s interesting to see such inane paranoia when it comes to legal firearms but no one gives a rat’s ass if gangbangers kill one other (or bystanders) with reckless abandon. Thankfully there are signs.

    Heyjackass.com

  16. However, he added, “If someone was coming in to do bad deeds, they could care less if the concealed carry sign was there or not. if it’s a comfort level for agents and homeowners, I would say put the sign out.”

    If I had a dollar for every neuron that died whilst making that sentence, I could bail the state out of its debt and bankroll the elections of a crop of politicians to fix things.

    And then support the creation of the 51st state: Chicagoana

  17. If you are a realtor in Illinois either vote the officers who run your organization out or stop paying dues. Cowardly and illogical policies diminish the public’s view of your fortitude and intelligence.

  19. I expect it won’t be long before Hell-inois passes a law to require The People of the Gun to wear a little yellow six shooter on lapel under penalty of law.

  20. I say let them do it. But they must also put the no gun placard on the for sale signs outside the houses. Problem solved. Everybody wins!

  22. Oh yeah you’re going to sell LOTS of houses in this crappy Illinois market. Dozens of unoccupied houses in my neighborhood. Let’s make it harder.Let’s piss off potential buyers. Duh indeed.

  24. 1. If the house is empty, why would the seller care if the potential buyer has a gun?
    2. What happens if it the agent/broker who is carrying concealed? I have known at least one female California agent who ALWAYS carried, especially if she was going into an unoccupied home for her own protection. If the sign is posted, does the agent have to leave his/her gun in the car, or just open the door and let the prospect wander around? I have a feeling the Realtors Association didn’t think about that.

  28. So I was in my favorite gun store and while I was browsing an older woman was buying her first gun ever. She was also looking at stun guns. Turns out she was a realtor and spent a lot of time alone in the less populated parts of the Seattle area showing properties.

    Made sense to me then and still makes perfect sense to me now.

    • Might as well post a sign that reads, “ATTENTION CRIMINALS! The occupants of this household are disarmed for your convenience.”

      Seriously though, is anyone carrying concealed going to let that stop them from looking at a house?

  30. If these idiots truly believed this garbage then they would have a large permanent sign in front of their saying “THIS HOUSE IS A GUN FREE ZONE” ALL THE TIME.

  31. I’ a real estate broker in Illinois. Oak Park located in Cook County, there is a ton of OLD money. However, parts of it are pretty ghetto! I for one will carry when I show houses. A large portion of real estate agents are located in the Cook County area. This is why IAOR is pushing these stupid issues so much. Cook County NOT Illinois is a lib state and Cook County is a F’ing joke!

  32. Dumb. Our house is a mandatory loaded gun zone. If we still lived in Cook county, it would be a mandatory loaded gun in every room zone.

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