GRPC 2018 - My Talk

The 33rd Gun Rights Policy Conference in Chicago ended yesterday. I was honored to be on the panel speaking on Using New Media to Advance Gun Rights. I was joined on the panel by Don Irvine of Accuracy in Media, Paul Lathrop of the Polite Society Podcast, and Charlie Cook of Riding Shotgun With Charlie (on YouTube). This was my fourth time to be on the panel and I'm still surprised to be asked each year.

Below is my speech. This year I recognized that we are under attack like never before and need to up our game. I also recognized the diversity of those supporting our civil right to keep and bear arms. I don't care who you sleep with or the color of your skin or even your political beliefs so long as you unreservedly support the right to self-defense and the right to keep and bear arms.

I’m John Richardson.

I blog at No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money and am also a co-host of the Polite Society Podcast.

If anything this year and indeed this past week have shown, it is that we are in a culture war. Everything we hold dear is under attack by an unholy alliance of the well-financed gun ban lobby, tech oligarchs, and the mass media. They have the money, they control the air waves, and are increasingly controlling and censoring our social media. Moreover, they have gotten smarter, savvier, and are actually, unfortunately, gaining a grass roots.

Nothing but our personal destruction will satisfy them. One need only to look at what they are trying to do to Judge Kavanaugh or to the vile, personal, and vicious attacks by former Parkland student David Hogg on those who would oppose his gun control agenda to understand this. In my past talks on using new media to advance gun rights I took a kinder, gentler approach.

No more.

We are all warriors in this culture war or we wouldn’t be in this room this morning.

I look out across this room and I don’t see men or women, young or old, gay or straight, liberal or conservative, white, black, Hispanic, or Asian. I see the Special Forces of the gun rights movement – people who believe in freedom, the right to armed self-defense, and the right to keep and bear arms – and who have the will to fight for it.

We have to be like the Green Beret A Teams sent behind enemy lines to create insurgencies to sap the strength and will of those who would curtail our constitutional rights.

Let me give you an example. When a Federal court in Washington State ignored the First Amendment implications of suppressing computer code and issued a temporary restraining order preventing Defense Distributed and the Second Amendment Foundation from putting it online, a group of civil rights groups including the Calguns Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition who were not covered by the order set up a website and put the information online themselves. They knew you couldn’t stop the signal.

I and hundreds of thousands others downloaded it. However, we didn’t stop there. We put the links up on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere. When the oligarchs running Facebook and Twitter tried to suppress the links, we went around them and put up pictures of the links or used barcodes. CodeIsFreeSpeech.com is still up and running and it infuriates the anti-gun, anti-civil rights elites.

That is just one example.

Virtually everyone in this room right now has on their person a very effective weapon. I’m not talking about those who the state of Illinois allows to carry concealed but rather all the iPhones and Android cell phones. They allow you to take both pictures and video as well as being connected to the Internet.

What kind of pictures or videos?

Well, my favorite ones are of anti-gun politicians and gun control celebs like Mike Bloomberg, Shannon Watts, and David Hogg surrounded by their armed security guards. They don’t want you to be able to protect your family and yourself. However, they insist on their own armed protection. You know there is a word for people like that – hypocrites. If you do get those kinds of pictures, post them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and every other place you can think of. If you see them posted by someone else, share or retweet them. Make it go viral!

Likewise, if you are going out shopping or taking friends out for dinner and you come across a store or restaurant that is posted against carry, take a picture. Post it to social media. Ask why these establishments want to keep you defenseless and put you at the mercy of those who would harm you or your family. As Massad Ayoob has said many times, gun free zones are nothing but hunting preserves for psychopaths.

Go to events sponsored by the gun control lobby. If they are having a town hall, record it on your phone. Take pictures of the Demanding Moms or the student marchers. Compare the numbers reported in the media with what you see with your own eyes and call them out on inflated numbers. I remember my late friend Bob Owens of BearingArms.com going to an anti-NRA rally held by Shannon Watts in Nashville. He took pictures from all angles and then compared them to their “official” picture. He exposed their lies and showed how they rigged the photo to make it seem like there were a lot more people there than there actually were.

My final thought on using New Media to advance and protect our rights and our culture. We have all the tools we need. We just have to have the will to use them and use them effectively.

Thank you for your time today.

Two Steps Forward; Potentially Many Back In Illinois

As I reported yesterday, Gov. Bruce Rauner (R-IL) did the right thing and vetoed SB 1657 - the Gun Dealer Licensing Bill. However, there are many more bills out there that need to die. Moreover, the anti-gun forces are attempting to repeal the state law that pre-empts local regulation of firearms. You can imagine the regulations that would be enacted by Chicagoland politicians in the city and the suburbs.

On another note, kudos to the Iroquois County Board for its pro-Second Amendment resolution. The county is located in northeastern Illinois between Chicago and Champaign-Urbana on the Indiana border.

Illinois Carry has sent out this alert. If you are an Illinois resident, contact your representative and senator. Now.

Governor Rauner Vetoes Gun Dealer Licensing Calls for Bipartisan Solutions After a full court press, all hands on deck, Katie bar the door effort by the anti Second Amendment legislators in Chicago, Governor Rauner, with a stroke of his pen, has undone the heinous firearm dealer licensing bill. We've been working with the Governor and his staff from day one for just a time as this. IllinoisCarry has taken him at his word and with this, the worst gun bill to hit an Illinois governor's desk in decades, he has proven his mettle. IllinoisCarry extends our sincere thanks to the Governor, and to our members who supported him while considering this difficult, but well reasoned, decision. But the fight isn't over! We expect anti-gun Chicago legislators to attempt an override of the Governor's veto, and to pass several other pieces of legislation. An amendment has been filed on HB1465 "Assault Weapon" ban Under 21 proposing an "affirmative defense" for our youth who participate in shooting sports with adults.  This is a poor attempt to make shooting sports illegal for our children while seemingly addressing our concerns. An amendment was filed on HB1467 Bump Stock & Trigger Crank Ban to now include the repeal of state preemption of local gun law, turning a bill that some considered an acceptable loss into election year theater. New momentum was given SB2314 Assault Weapons - Municipality, the inspiration for elimination preemption, and SB2317 Crim Cd Trigger Modification,  yet another flavor of bump stock ban. Call Your State Senator! Tell your Senator to vote against any attempt to override Governor Rauner's veto of SB1657 Gun Dealer Licensing. Also urge your state Senator to vote No on the following bills and any amendments to these bills: HB1465 "Assault Weapon Under 21 HB1467 Bump Stock & Trigger Crank Ban SB2314 Assault Weapon - Municipality SB2317 Crim Cd Trigger Modification Contact information for your legislators can be found here. ###

Iroquois County Board Passes Pro-Second Amendment Resolution! Tuesday night, Mar. 13th the Iroquois County Board voted to adopt the following resolution supporting lawful gun owners in Illinois.  We encourage other counties to adopt similar resolutions, and ask each of you to share a copy with your county board members! Copies of the resolution and contact infromation can be found here. RESOLUTION of the COUNTY BOARD OF THE COUNTY OF IROQUOIS, ILLINOIS Resolution opposing the passage of HB1465, HB 1467, HB1468, HB1469, SB1657, any trailer bill, or any bill similar too, or any bill where the 100th Illinois General Assembly desires to restrict the Individual right of US Citizens as protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution WHEREAS, the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms is guaranteed as an Individual Right under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and under the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and; WHEREAS, the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms for defense of Life, Liberty, and Property is regarded as an Inalienable Right by the People of Iroquois County, Illinois, and: WHEREAS, the People of Iroquois County, Illinois, derive economic benefit from all safe forms of firearms recreation, hunting, and shooting conducted within Iroquois County using all types of firearms allowable under the United States Constitution and; WHEREAS, HB1465 is a violation of the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution requiring responsible persons under 21 to surrender lawfully owned firearms or face becoming instant felons; fails to define how to relinquish firearms; only allows possession at Sparta shooting complex, but fails to provide similar exemptions for recreational shooting at gun clubs, private ranges or under supervision of responsible adult or parent, unless certified as a firearms instructor; WHEREAS HB1467 is violation of the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution requiring persons to immediately relinquish lawfully owned bump stocks or trigger cranks, while also failing to provide where and how to relinquish firearms devices, thus creating instant felons upon passage; WHEREAS HB1468 contains broad and unclear definitions which will cause confusion amongst firearm owners and dealers as to which type of firearm is subject to 72 hour wait period; bans nonresidents from purchasing certain long guns defined loosely as assault weapons, puts dealers in jeopardy of unknowingly violating the law; WHEREAS HB1469 is violation of the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution requiring persons to immediately relinquish lawfully owned magazines, fails to provide how to properly relinquish banned magazines, creates instant felons if enacted as written, creates conflicts allowing for sale to out of state persons while stating possession is a felony, bans body armor worn as protection for those who employ the use of chain saws, motorcyclists, range officers and firearm instructors, shop owners and employees who work in dangerous neighborhoods or during night shifts; WHEREAS SB1657 and trailer bills will create economic hardship on lawfully owned and operated, small business firearm dealerships, in effect forcing them to close; will create undue burdens and price increases on persons to lawfully purchase firearms; will have a direct negative impact on local economies thru job loss and sales tax loss; will create another layer of burdensome government regulation on top of the heavy Federal regulations; imposes new fees on top of existing Federal license fees; WHEREAS, Iroquois County Board, being elected to represent the People of Iroquois County and being duly sworn by their Oath of Office to uphold the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and; WHEREAS, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate, being elected by the People of the State of Illinois and being duly sworn by their Oath of Office to uphold the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and; WHEREAS, The Governor of Illinois, being elected to represent the People of the State of Illinois and being duly sworn by your Oath of Office to uphold the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and; WHEREAS, proposed legislation, any bills similar to, under consideration by the Illinois State Legislature would infringe the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and would ban the possession and use of firearms, magazines, body armor now employed by individual citizens of Iroquois County, Illinois, for defense of Life, Liberty and Property and would ban the possession and use of firearms now employed for safe forms of firearms recreation, hunting and shooting conducted within Iroquois County, Illinois; WHEREAS, the proposed legislation potentially violates the 5th Amendment failing to provide just compensation under the takings clause, 8th Amendment imposition against excessive fines and punishments on law abiding citizens by punitive forfeiture/relinquishment of lawfully owned property, and Ex Post Facto Law Clause of the United States Constitution. NOW, THEREFORE, IT BE AND IS HEREBY RESOLVED that the People of Iroquois County, Illinois, do hereby oppose the enactment of any legislation that would infringe upon the Right of the People to keep and bear arms and consider such laws to be unconstitutional and beyond lawful Legislative Authority. BE IT FURTHER RESOVLED, that the Iroquois County Board demands that the Illinois General Assembly cease further actions restricting the Right of the People to keep and bear arms, and hereby demand that the Governor of Illinois veto all such legislation which restricts the Right of the People to keep and bear arms. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Clerk of Iroquois County is hereby directed to prepare and deliver certified copies of this Resolution to all members of the Illinois General Assembly and to the Office of the Governor. ###

That Shoulder Thing That Goes Up

Former Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) was asked many years ago by Tucker Carlson if she could define a barrel shroud which was mentioned in her assault weapons (sic) ban bill. She replied that it was that shoulder thing that goes up. We in the gun culture just shook our collective heads at her ignorance yet realized that even stupid stuff can be enacted into law.

State Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago) who is the Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate introduced an amendment to a bill (SB 556) that was intended to make technical corrections to Illinois criminal laws. Amendment 1 contains, in part, language intended to institute an assault weapons (sic) ban in the state of Illinois. One wonders if Sen. Munoz picked this bill because of its purpose or its number.

(14) Carries or possesses on or about his or her
person, in any vehicle, or concealed on or about his or her
person any semi-automatic assault weapon.
In this paragraph (14), "semi-automatic assault weapon" means:
(A) any of the firearms or types, replicas, or duplicates regardless of caliber, known as:
(i) Norinco, Mitchell, and Poly Technologies Avtomat Kalashnikovs (all models);
(ii) Action Arms Israeli Military Industries UZI and Galil;
(iii) Beretta AR-70 (SC-70);
(iv) Colt AR-15;
(v) Fabrique Nationale FN/FAL, FN/LAR, and FNC;
(vi) SWD M-10, M-11, M-11/9, and M-12;
(vii) Steyr AUG;
(viii) INTRATEC TEC-9, TEC-DC9, and TEC-22; or
(ix) any shotgun which contains its ammunition in a revolving cylinder, such as (but not limited to) the Street Sweeper and Striker 12;

(B) a semi-automatic rifle or pump action rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has any of the following:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a pistol grip or thumbhole stock;
(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles the barrel, and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned;

(C) a semi-automatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has any of the following:
(i) a folding, telescoping, or thumbhole stock;
(ii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles the barrel, and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned; an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip;
(iii) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; or
(iv) a semi-automatic version of an automatic firearm;

(D) a semi-automatic rifle or pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition;

(E) a semi-automatic shotgun that has any of the following:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a pistol grip or thumbhole stock;
(iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; or
(iv) an ability to accept a detachable magazine.

"Semi-automatic assault weapon" does not include:
(A) any firearm that:
(i) is manually prepared by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action;
(ii) is an unserviceable firearm or has been made permanently inoperable;
(iii) is an antique firearm; or
(iv) is a rifle with a fixed tubular magazine located under the barrel that is only capable of holding rounds of ammunition placed end to end; or (B) any air rifle as defined in Section 24.8-0.1 of this Code.

Illinois Carry has issued a call for witness slips to counter this amendment.

Urgent Call to Action Witness Slips Needed Witness Slip Instructions Earlier this evening Amendment 1 to SB556 Criminal Law Tech was scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM. If this bill becomes law, it will arbitrarily define and ban possession of “assault weapons” throughout the State of Illinois. Witness Slips Are Needed Now! Please take a moment tonight or early tomorrow morning to show your opposition to this ban on the some of the most commonly owned, modern firearms. And, if you haven't already filed a witness slip against SB1657 Gun Dealer Licensing, please see the instructions in our IllinoisCarry Forum Alert.  File these slips before tomorrow morning as well! File Witness Slips Now! To avoid having to complete each field manually, Log on to your ILGA Dashboard (or Create a New Account if you have not already done so) then return to this email and click on the links for each witness slip. If you do not wish to create an account, simply click on each witness slip link and complete the required fields manually: I, IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter "NA" for the Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization. II. REPRESENTATION: Enter "Myself" unless representing an organization. III. POSITION: Unless instructed otherwise for a particular bill leave the description field at its default value "Original Bill". Indicate your position by selecting the "Proponent" or "Opponent" radio button. IV. TESTIMONY: Select the "Record of Appearance Only" radio button. If filing manually, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement. Then click Create Slip. Oppose SB556 Criminal Law Tech SFA1  - OPPOSE Witness slips can be tracked here.

UPDATE: The Illinois State Rifle Association has also released an alert on this requesting witness slips for both this bill and SB 1657. As I've said elsewhere, there is a lot wrong with Illinois politics but I do like the concept of witness slips. A trip to your state capitol during a work week is not doable for most people. Witness slips puts your opposition or approval to a bill in the public record.

From ISRA:

Action Alert - Summary - Two witness slips for Tuesday: SENATE: File a witness slip now through Tuesday 10:30 am (May 16) against SB556, as amended with Senate Floor Amendment 1 (SFA1).  The amendment turns this bill into a semi-auto ban, attempting to ban your favorite rifles and pistols.  Follow carefully any steps in BOLDFACE as they may differ slightly that you may usually see. If you look up this bill on the ILGA website, you have to view the text of the amendment (links provided below) to see that the bill is being converted from a shell bill ("makes a technical change...") into a gun ban. HOUSE:  If you have not already done so, file Witness Slips NOW Through Tuesday 11:00 am (May 16) against SB1657, Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing. Last month you were also asked to submit a witness slip against this bill, but that was when the bill was in the Senate.  This is for a HOUSE hearing. So please submit a slip again, opposing this bill in the next hearing. Also, please call your Illinois State Representative and politely remind the person that answers the phone that you are urging your representative not to support Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing, SB1657.

SB556  Munoz - SFA1 - Semi-auto and magazine ban This is a ban of your favorite semi-auto firearms and magazines.  This is done by amending an empty piece of legislation ("shell" bill) that has already progressed in the Senate.  If you look up the bill, you have to read the amendment (SFA1) to see its impact. The status page of the bill will not show the new intent of the bill.   Make your voice be heard by submitting a witness slip against this bill in this committee hearing: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing - 10:30 am on May 16, 2017 SB556  SFA1 Munoz - Semi-auto ban SB1657  Willis - GUN DEALER LICENSING This is the Senate version of the legislation that would force your favorite gun store to close under a mountain of new regulations.  This bill will affect your ability to buy firearms or ammunition in Illinois.  Never mind the weight of all the federal regulations that gun dealers and gun owners must deal with, your retailer and you will have more Illinois regulations and fees now too.    The bill as amended passed out of the Senate on a 30-21 vote and is now headed to a committee hearing in the Illinois House of Representatives. Your continued action is needed against SB1657, make your voice be heard by submitting a witness slip against this bill in this committee hearing: House: Judiciary Criminal Committee Hearing - 11:00 am on May 16, 2017  SB1657  Willis - GUN DEALER LICENSING How to create your witness slips: If you have an account already at my.ilga.gov, go there and login now. If you do not have an account, you are encouraged to do so, to make it easier to fill in witness slips in the future.   At this point, logged in or not, you click on this link to create your witness slip against SB556 SFA1: http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/100498?committeeHearingId=14966&LegislationId=100498 If you are logged in, you get to skip to step III. I. IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter "NA" for the Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization.   II. REPRESENTATION: Enter "Myself" unless representing an organization.   III. POSITION: 1. Under description, Make sure that SFA1 is selected.  2. Indicate your position by selecting the "Opponent" radio button.    IV. TESTIMONY: Select the "Record of Appearance Only" radio button.   If filing without a login, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.   Then click "Create Slip."  At this point, logged in or not, you click on this link to create your witness slip against SB1657: http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/104404?committeeHearingId=14949&LegislationId=104404 If you are logged in, you get to skip to step III. I. IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter "NA" for the Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization.   II. REPRESENTATION: Enter "Myself" unless representing an organization.   III. POSITION: Indicate your position by selecting the "Opponent" radio button.    IV. TESTIMONY: Select the "Record of Appearance Only" radio button.   If filing without a login, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.   Then click "Create Slip." Afterwards, you can track witness slip activity for these bills/hearings: SB556   click here  SB1657 click here Contact your State Representaive and politely tell him/her that you are a law-abiding gun owner and that you expect them to vote against SB1657 even if it is amended. To verify who your State Resresentative is, use the lookup apps available at the Illinois State Board of Elections website. (click here)  Even if you prefer email, also contact them at their Springfield and district offices.  Email can be ignored, but phones must be answered.  Remember, the person who answers the phone is usually a state employee reporting to the legislator,  and is just doing their job.

Chicago May Finally Be Listening

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has told the City of Chicago that a) they must allow shooting ranges, b)that they can't so limit their locations as to be prohibitive, and c)that those under the age of 18 should be allowed at ranges so as to get proper firearm training. These rulings stem from cases brought the Second Amendment Foundation and the Illinois State Rifle Association in  Ezell v. City of Chicago and what is called Ezell II.

On Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed new zoning regulations that would bring the city into compliance with the court's rulings.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday proposed allowing gun ranges in more areas of Chicago in response to a federal appellate court ruling that struck down the city's zoning restrictions on the shooting facilities.

The new rules would allow gun ranges in business, commercial and industrial areas, provided the owners obtained a special-use permit — which requires officials to take into consideration any objections from people and businesses in the surrounding area...

The changes also would allow people younger than 18 to shoot at a range, provided they are supervised by a parent, guardian or trained instructor.

The earlier regulations had limited shooting ranges to industrial areas and required that the ranges be located more the 500 feet away from "homes, schools, day care operations, houses of worship, liquor stores, parks, libraries, museums and hospitals." This effectively limited shooting ranges to about a 2% area within the city limits. The early regulations also banned anyone under the age of 18 from going to a range.

While I don't have the final details of Emanuel's proposal, this seems to be a start in the right direction. When the minutes from the March 29th City Council meeting are published, I will publish the relevant portions.

Congratulations again to the Second Amendment Foundation, the Illinois State Rifle Association, plaintiff Rhonda Ezell, and attorney Alan Gura for their efforts to bring a basic civil right to the City of Chicago.

Gaming A Gun Buy-Back

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to waste another $250,000 of the city's money in order to fund a gun buy-back. He announced his plans yesterday at press conference attended by the usual hanger's on. The money is coming from the Chicago Police Department's budget. The "intent" is to "get guns off the street".

Emanuel's buy-back will be a partnership between the city and various groups who can apply for grants to fund buy-backs.

Organizations can apply directly to the police department and will be responsible for organizing and advertising the events. Chicago police will staff the buy-back events, recover the guns, and provide cash cards for guns turned in. The $250,000 fund will be used to purchase the cash cards, and is funded through the existing CPD budget.

“Illegal guns drive violence in our neighborhoods, and we must do everything possible to keep them off our streets,” said Superintendent McCarthy. “Our officers already recover more illegal guns than officers in any other city in the country, and this new take on gun buy-backs will help us get even more guns out of our communities.”

The last time the city sponsored such a buy-back gun rights organizations and suburban gun dealers dumped a number of inoperable firearms on the city and collected $100 each in gift cards. John Boch of Guns Saves Lives said the money was used to purchase ammo for a NRA youth camp.

Boch said his group will be back and the cops aren't happy.

Boch is vowing to return to Chicago with another 50 or 60 guns to turn in.

“We will put that money to good use for public awareness efforts on our part,” he said. “We don’t need gun control, we need crime control.”

Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said officers will check to see whether turned-in guns are operable but won’t check the IDs of the people who bring them in.

“If people want to game the system, society is the victim,” he said. “I think those people need to ask themselves, are they part of the solution to reduce violence?”

No, what Mr. Guglielmi should be asking is whether this $250,000 of taxpayer's money couldn't be better used in enforcement efforts against criminal gangs such as the Gangster Disciples, the Latin Kings, and Black P Stone. When you look at a map of Chicago and see very few areas that don't have known gang boundaries, it is what I'd be asking.

The Anti-Gun Regime In Chicago Is Getting More Expensive

The more the anti-gun regime of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tries to suppress Second Amendment rights in that city, the more it is costing them as they lose in the courts. The only downside is that it is the people of Chicago having to pay the bill and not Mayor Emanuel and his gaggle of aldermen.

A case in point. The US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois just ordered the City of Chicago to reimburse the NRA over $900,000 for their legal fees fighting the ban on gun stores there.

From the NRA's release announcing the court-ordered award:

The United States District Court in the Northern District of Illinois has ordered the City of Chicago to reimburse $940,000 in legal expenses incurred by the NRA. The NRA had challenged Chicago's ban on gun sales within city limits in Benson v. City of Chicago. The Benson case was consolidated into Illinois Association of Firearm Retailers v. City of Chicago and that case challenged five aspects of Chicago's law: (1) the ban on any form of carriage; (2) the ban on gun stores; (3) the ban on firing ranges; (4) the ban on self-defense in garages, porches, and yards; and (5) the ban on keeping more than one gun in an operable state.

This is the second time that the City of Chicago has been ordered to reimburse legal fees in a suit sponsored by the NRA. The first was following the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago in which Chicago was ordered to reimburse the NRA more than $600,000.

You may remember that the City of Chicago paid the Second Amendment Foundation $399,950 in attorney fees for the McDonald case. The NRA got even more.

I'm not sure what Chicago had to pay when they lose the Ezell case but it can't be cheap.

And while we are in the state of Illinois, let's not forget the legal fees that will be paid by the good citizens of Illinois to the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation for their wins in the joint cases of Moore v. Madigan and Shepard v. Madigan. The state of Illinois is trying to be a bit more parsimonious than Chicago given the way they are haggling over fees submitted by Alan Gura.

Chicago Ban On Gun Sales And Transfers Overturned

US District Court Judge Edmond E. Chang found that the City of Chicago's ban on the sale or transfer of a firearm except by inheritance was unconstitutional in a ruling today in US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The case was brought by the Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers and three individual plaintiffs against the City of Chicago and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Under Chicago Municipal Code § 8-20-100-a:

(a)   Except as authorized by section 2-84-075, no firearm may be sold, acquired or otherwise transferred within the city, except through inheritance of the firearm.

The exceptions are for sales to police officers as authorized by the Police Superintendent and for loans of firearms at ranges. The ban did include transfers including gifts between family members. More importantly, the ban also includes federally licensed firearms dealers.

Judge Chang prefaces his opinion by saying, in part, that:

certain fundamental right are protected by the Constitution, put outside government’s reach, including the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense under the Second Amendment. This right must also include the right to acquire a firearm, although that acquisition right is far from absolute: there are many long-standing restrictions on who may acquire firearms (for examples, felons and the mentally ill have long been banned) and there are many restrictions on the sales of arms (for example, licensing requirements for commercial sales). But Chicago’s ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms, and at the same time the evidence does not support that the complete ban sufficiently furthers the purposes that the ordinance tries to serve.

Chicago had tried to argue that their ordinance was aimed at preventing crime by preventing gang members from obtaining firearms. Research by certain well-known anti-gun academics such as Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig purported to show that gang members were reluctant to leave their territory in order to obtain firearms for fear of intruding upon another gang's territory. Thus, Chicago tried to show that by relegating gun sales to the suburbs that gangs would have a harder and more expensive time obtaining firearms. Judge Chang rejected this saying that residents who could legally own a firearm would bear more of the burden of added transaction costs than would gang members.

Another argument that Chicago tried to put forth was that they could ban gun stores because the BATFE did not effectively monitor them. They called it part of a "chronically-diseased regime that is fundamentally broken" in terms of regulation. But, as Judge Chang noted, nothing in the ordinance offered more resources to BATFE or pledge enhanced cooperation by the Chicago PD with BATFE.

Judge Chang also notes that the Chicago ordinance went well beyond state and federal law in banning transfers and gifts between individuals and family members who were legally permitted to own firearms. They did this without any studies or justification for the ban. He said, "This lack of justification only bolsters the conclusion that these Municipal Code ordinances are substantially overinclusive and do not pass muster under Ezell’s rigorous scrutiny."

Judge Chang concludes his opinion by stating:

In sum, given the rigorous showing that Ezell demands, the City has not demonstrated that allowing gun sales and transfers within city limits creates such genuine and serious risks to public safety that flatly prohibiting them is justified. If the City is concerned about reducing criminal access to firearms, either through legitimate retail transactions or via thefts from gun stores, it may enact more appropriately tailored measures. Indeed, nothing in this opinion prevents the City from considering other regulations—short of the complete ban—on sales and transfers of firearms to minimize the access of criminals to firearms and to track the ownership of firearms. But the flat ban on legitimate sales and transfers does not fit closely with those goals. MCC § 8-20-100 and its zoning ordinance (to the extent that it bans the operation of gun stores in Chicago) are therefore unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment was granted and the defendants' motion was denied. Judge Chang then stayed his ruling to give Chicago time to file an appeal, to file a motion to stay his ruling, and/or to change the laws in question.

The decision can be found here.

"Carrying A Loaded Firearm Is The Gateway Crime To Committing A Murder"

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said in an interview with Dean Reynolds of CBS News that "carrying a loaded firearm is the gateway crime to committing a murder." He said this during the course of the interview discussing how the Chicago police seize 130 "illegal" guns a week.

I don't know about you but I have a hard time wrapping my head around McCarthy's statement. Much of what McCarthy considers "illegal" is perfectly legal in the rest of the country. That would include such things as concealed carry, open carry, and firearms with standard capacity magazines. I see millions of Americans legally carrying a loaded firearm daily and murder does not begin to cross their minds even once.

While the state of Illinois has passed their shall-issue concealed carry law, it still is in the process of being implemented and no Illinois CCWs have been issued yet.

McCarthy points to the seizure of firearms as being responsible for the reduction in murders in Chicago this year. However, correlation is not causation especially when the police have concurrently stepped up their presence in high crime areas and put more resources into street-level intelligence gathering. If perhaps McCarthy put as much emphasis into suppressing violent street gangs as into suppressing firearms, Chicago might really see a dramatic decline in its murder rate. That would unfortunately deprive many Chicago politicians of a constituency so I doubt we'll be seeing that.

McCarthy is pushing for a New York City-style law which provides a three year mandatory sentence for the illegal possession of a firearm. His efforts to get such a law passed in Illinois have stalled in the General Assembly.

Chicago Aldermen Recommend Scraping Of City's Gun Registry

The City of Chicago Committee on Public Safety approved a rewriting of city ordinances that would repeal the city's gun registry.

A decades-old requirement for Chicago gun owners to register their firearms will soon be off the books after a panel of aldermen on Monday recommended repealing it.

If the full City Council agrees as expected on Wednesday, it will be the first time in Chicago since 1968 that legal guns don't have to be registered. That's when then-Mayor Richard J. Daley set up a city gun registry.

The change can be traced to the State of Illinois' new concealed carry law which gave the state the sole authority to issue gun permits and licenses.

According to Chicago Tribune, Alderman Ed Burke (D-14th Ward) was quite angry over the changes. Burke is the only alderman to have bodyguards provided by the taxpayers of Chicago.

Todd Vandermyde, the NRA's lobbyist in Illinois, called these changes a "start". A video interview of Todd is by the press after the Public Safety Committee meeting is can be seen here. As the video is an auto-start video, I've just included the link instead of embedding it.

All I can say after watching this is Go Todd!

Dream On, Rahmbo

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel held a press conference today to bemoan the fact that Illinois will now finally have shall-issue concealed carry. He said he was glad Illinois was the last state to adopt concealed carry and that he hopes the Illinois General Assembly will allow Chicago to adopt its own stricter concealed carry ordinances.

He goes on to say that Chicago is different and that it "needs" gun control. I would agree with him that Chicago is different than Downstate - it has more shootings and murders than the rest of the state despite having much tougher gun control laws.

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Emanuel To Propose New AWB For Chicago

Chicago is now jumping on the bandwagon of proposing new gun laws before the Illinois concealed carry law is enacted. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed a new assault weapon (sic) ban that would prohibit the sale and possession of such firearms in the city. From the report by WGN-TV below, it appears the bill will also contain a listing of such firearms and will also contain a magazine ban.

The second bill introduced will ban the carrying of firearms in student safety zones. While I am not completely familiar with the concept, it appears that they include the sidewalks students most frequently use when walking to school. This second bill sounds like even more of an intrusion upon the Second Amendment than the Chicago AWB depending on just how broadly a student safety zone is defined.

The second ordinance would make the punishment harsher for gun-related offenses in “student safety zones”.

Those zones are found near schools, buses, and parks across the city.

Anyone convicted of having a gun in a safety zone would face a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 for the first offense and a mandatory 30 days in jail.

A second offense would carry a fine of $5,000 to $15,000 and a mandatory three months in jail.

A third offense would carry a fine of $10,000 to $20,000 and a mandatory six-month jail term.

Neither bill nor its text is posted on the City of Chicago's website as of now.

ISRA - McCarthy Must Go

It was a hot night in the city last night. While the weather was just warm, the teen mob violence on Chicago's Magnificent Mile became rather hot with 28 arrested. According to multiple reports, a mounted policeman was assaulted, passerbys were attacked, and a group of women were attacked on a Chicago Transit Authority train.





In response to this out of control mob, the Illinois State Rifle Association reiterated their calls for the firing of Chicago Police Superintendent Gerry McCarthy. They are calling it "one rampage too many."

CHICAGO, March 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

The ISRA is once again calling upon Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fire Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy . This latest call for McCarthy's ouster comes after a mob of young thugs - estimated to be in the hundreds - swarmed the Magnificent Mile shopping district Saturday night and began beating dozens of innocent shoppers. This latest mob action appears to be the most serious in a string of events over the past two years involving gangs of youths randomly attacking shoppers on North Michigan Avenue.

"Just like dyeing the Chicago River green on St. Patty's Day, cracking tourists' heads on North Michigan Avenue is becoming a Windy City tradition," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson . "The first warm night of the year, and all hell breaks loose in the city's most tony shopping district. It should be clear to everybody by now that Supt. McCarthy has lost control of the city. What are things going to be like when the weather really heats up? What has to happen before Emanuel wakes up and gives the nod to a more effective top cop?"

"The ISRA has been cautioning folks against making Chicago a leisure time destination for a few years now," continued Pearson. "Unless you're the kind of person who wants to be terrorized, beaten, raped or robbed, then you should definitely find another place to vacation. For the law-abiding citizen, Chicago has become just too dangerous to visit."

"While vicious mobs have been busily destroying Chicago's tourism industry, Mayor Emanuel and Supt. McCarthy have been busy as well – vilifying law abiding firearm owners," said Pearson. "If they spent more time thwarting crime and less time trying to take guns away from hunters and sportsmen, then Chicago might be a better place in which to live and work."

"The sad events of Saturday night will certainly bolster efforts to pass concealed carry legislation down in Springfield," said Pearson. "Good people have a right to defend themselves against lawless thugs. I'm positive that the prospect of encountering armed citizens would make such flash mobs vaporize in a hurry."

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

Franken-FAL

I was reading a story about a letter sent by Republican congressmen calling out President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder demanding enforcement of existing firearms laws before consideration of any new laws. However, that isn't what caught my eye. Look at the picture below of firearms confiscated in Chicago. The photo is credited to the Associated Press and I presume it is from some sort of show and tell put on by the Chicago Police Department.

My eye immediately went to the top rifle in the photo. I see the carrying handle from both an AR and the FAL. then I look at the handguard and front sight. It is an FAL! What the hell?

I have never seen a FN-FAL or any of its variants with an AR carry handle/rear sight scabbed on to it. I wish I had a better photo but it appears that it is part of the dust cover.

That the firearm was confiscated I don't doubt. However, I would be really shocked to hear that it from confiscated from either a crime scene or taken from some gang banger. If you told me it came from a crime scene in Sao Paulo or Buenos Aires I might believe it but not Chicago. Moreover, it doesn't look like the only one in the photo. Check out the stock of the rifle that is under the leg of the Franken-FAL's bipod. It appears to me a FAL as well.

If you've ever come across something like this, I'd be interested in knowing more.

I Am Corrupt

I am corrupt. That is, if your definition of corruption extends to contributing time and money to pro-rights organizations and to pro-rights candidates. Unfortunately, in the fevered mind of Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy it does.

In an taped radio interview with Bill Cameron of WLS Radio, McCarthy made just such assertions. The interview broadcast yesterday morning but the audio podcast of it has not yet been posted to the station's website.

Reaction to McCarthy from the Illinois State Rifle Association was swift.

Chicago Police Superintendent McCarthy Crosses The Line

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

Chicago's embattled police superintendent dug himself deeper into a pit of controversy today by claiming that lawful firearm owners are agents of political corruption. Appearing on a Chicago Sunday morning talk show, superintendent Garry McCarthy expressed his conviction that firearm owners who lobby their elected representatives or who donate money to political campaigns are engaged in corruption that endangers public safety. McCarthy went on to express his belief that judges and legislators should rely on public opinion polls when interpreting our Constitution.

After totally dismissing the citizen's right to redress grievances, McCarthy trained his constitutional wisdom on the 2nd Amendment. Despite recent court decisions to the contrary, McCarthy opined that the 2nd Amendment limits citizens to owning smooth-bore muskets. McCarthy went on to say that he believes that the 2nd Amendment supports mandatory liability insurance for firearm owners and the mandatory application of GPS tracking devices to civilian owned firearms.

" Garry McCarthy 's understanding of our Constitution barely qualifies him as a meter maid, never mind the chief of the nation's third largest police department," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson . "What on earth would possess McCarthy to assert that constitutional rights should be meted out based on public opinion polls? Let's not forget that public opinion polls once opposed a woman's right to vote while it would be a safe bet that, at one time, polls would have shown lynching as an acceptable form of justice. It has been said that our Constitution exists to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. McCarthy's view of our Constitution is dangerous and unbecoming of a civil servant."

"McCarthy needs to understand that the lawful firearm owners of this state will continue to lobby their representatives and continue to support candidates who represent their interests," continued Pearson. "If Garry McCarthy doesn't like that, well that's just too bad. If McCarthy is so interested in influence peddling, he should pop into some of the gin mills ringing the Illinois Capitol and count the ruddy red noses of taxpayer-funded lobbyists for the City of Chicago."

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

By McCarthy's definition, the intrusion of Mayor Bloomberg and his money into the Democrat primary to replace disgraced former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. must be anti-corruption. His ads only target former Rep. Debbie Halvorson due to her previous stance on gun control. I say previous stance as she has backtracked significantly from her former pro-gun rights stance. Nonetheless, she still is against any assault weapons (sic) ban.

A Different Take On Sen. Donne Trotter And His Mistake

Todd Vandermyde is a lobbyist for the NRA in the state of Illinois and a person I respect. He has been fighting in the trenches for gun rights in Illinois for a long time. He has a different take on Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter and his troubles after being found with a small pistol while attempting to board a plane at O'Hare Airport this week.

Todd asked me to check out his Facebook comments and I did. I am doing him the courtesy of reposting his comments here so that they may reach a wider audience. While I may not agree with Todd 100% on this, he does bring up some good points.

Yesterday, Senator Donnie Trotter was arrested for possessing a handgun in his carryon bag when trying to board an airplane at O’Hare airport.

Some have tried to jump on a bandwagon of trying to dance in the misfortune of Senator Trotter’s inadvertent mistake. And that is what this appears to be, a simple mistake. The inattention to detail to realize that his bag contained a firearm and he was about to go through security at an airport.

It is a “crime” of possession, having it in his control at the wrong time at the wrong place. And like I said a mistake. I don’t think that Senator Trotter, nor the flight attendant should have their lives and carriers ruined for a mistake. Neither of these cases was the individual aware of the presence of the firearm. Nor did they have any ill intentions. They were not associated with Al Qaeda nor a street gang. And neither has some sort of lengthy criminal record.

Some want to point to the hypocritical nature of Trotter being “caught” with a firearm despite is past voting record. The Sun-Times even went back to 1995 to dredge up his opposition to a concealed carry bill. People change positions on issues over time. Is votes in the past don’t reflect the conversations we have had over the last two years. Just this past week, Senator Trotter joined with 48 of his colleagues to override the Governor’s veto of a bill to allow the mail order sale of ammunition by Illinois retailers to Illinois residents.

His new district runs from the South side of Chicago, to Kankakee, with changing boundaries, come changing constituents with different perspectives. Senator Trotter has maintained an open mind and we have always been able to talk. And we continue to do so.

Out of state groups who never spend any time working the halls of the Capitol would do well to learn the whole record rather than issue knee jerk press releases reveling in the misfortune of an otherwise law abiding gun owner. Minorities and women are the fastest growing demographic in new gun owners. Gun owners would do well to continue to reach out to this growing group, not drive them away by snotty press releases.

The real lesson of this is the lack of any semblance of compassion in the criminal justice system. We have laws for reasons, but justice for the sake of being punitive is not justice. What is absolutely appalling is the lack of any reasonableness in evaluating the situation and the circumstances around it. Instead we have a notorious anti-gun states attorney, who due to her own ineptness, can’t look past the totality of the situation in these cases, the flight attendant or Senator Trotter, and see that justice is not being done. Instead she clings to her disdain for firearms and people who would own them or even want to carry one for self protection. At a time when other states’ attorneys are publicly announcing that they will not prosecute people with FOID cards and no evil motives from carrying a firearm for self defense, we have Anita Alverez who wants to make an example out of people who make a mistake.

What is really glaring is the lack of proportion. Ms. Alverez was the COS under Dick Devine who in prosecuting Tyrus McCants for gun running, the illegal transfer of 3 or more firearms racked up the whopping sentence of 18 months probation on what is a class 1 felony – for supplying firearms on the streets of Chicago.

Yet Senator Trotter and a flight attendant should be made out as felons for a simple mistake, facing 1 to 3 years and a host of fines and legal costs. Which should offend our sensibilities more; the lack of common sense in the prosecution of these cases, or the inattention to detail that led to these charges?

Donnie Trotter will have spent almost 36 hours in detainment for his mistake. He now gets to go through the meat grinder many law abiding gun owners face. TSA shows they have about 1500 of these a year. He also gets to see the Cook County criminal justice system up close and personal as a person who had a legal firearm, a FOID and even a PERC card. He faces a smear of his reputation and achievements for this event. I would rather have someone who has tasted that for a mistake as an ally.

Donnie Trotter is a friend. But I know that but for the grace of God, in my haste on a trip someday, I could be sitting where he is today. And I would want the same opportunity not to have my life ruined because I made a mistake.

That’s why I will give Donnie Trotter and the flight attendant the benefit of the doubt and won’t pile on.

CCRKBA On Chicago Pol's Arrest At O'Hare

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms points out the hypocrisy of anti-gun Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter who was arrested while trying to board a plane at Chicago's O'Hare Airport with a firearm.

CHICAGO ANTI-GUN POL’S ARREST SHOWS TRUE GUN CONTROL HYPOCRISY, SAYS CCRKBA

BELLEVUE, WA – Today’s arrest of Illinois State Sen. Donne Trotter by authorities at O’Hare International Airport for having a gun in his carry-on bag is a revealing look at the hypocrisy of anti-gunners, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Trotter was arrested at a security checkpoint early this morning. A candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat vacated recently by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., Trotter had a .25-caliber Beretta semiautomatic pistol in his bag. The Chicago Tribune said Trotter told police he worked late last night as a security guard and didn’t realize the pistol was in his bag.

“Trotter is a South Side Democrat and he was a leader in the move to ban so-called ‘assault weapons’ during his first term as a state representative,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “A man who favored banning firearms for thousands of his fellow Illinois residents shouldn’t even have a gun, much less be packing one illegally into an airport.”

Trotter has reportedly been charged with one count of attempting to board an airplane with a weapon, which is a Class 4 felony.

“Senator Trotter, by his own action, has demonstrated the monumental hypocrisy of gun control advocates who try to disarm average citizens while reserving the right to bear arms for themselves alone,” Gottlieb observed. “He should not even be serving in the state legislature, much less be running for a seat in Congress, which already has its share of gun prohibition hypocrites.

“Today’s incident underscores just how pathetic the anti-gun philosophy has gotten,” he concluded. “Perhaps now he will realize how other citizens feel when they run afoul of some anti-gun law or regulation. He should apologize to every gun owner in Illinois.”

As SayUncle noted last night, "it’s universally known on the internet that the .25 sucks."

Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers notes that while Trotter does hold a FOID card and is licensed to carry as a security guard he doesn't believe that you should be able to carry. Trotter is also reported to be interested in running for the Congressional seat formerly held by Jesse Jackson, Jr.

So he is your typical anti-gun hypocrite. It's perfectly OK for him to carry and own a gun since he measures up to his own personal standards but all the rest of you inbred, knuckle-dragging rednecks are too stupid/ignorant to be trusted and might do something like try and carry one onto a plane.

oh wait.

Maybe he is the perfect replacement for JJJ.

About the only thing I might say in defense of the terminally stupid Sen. Trotter is that he did vote to override Gov. Pat Quinn's amendatory veto of SB 681. It still doesn't excuse carrying a Beretta .25 ACP.

Gun Shows In Chicago?

A posting in today's The Shooting Wire announcing the Chicagoland Gun Show caught my eye.

Outdoor Sports Group (OSG) is proud to announce the first ever Chicagoland Gun Show January 23-27, 2013 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont Illinois.

The Chicagoland Gun Show will be co-located with the Chicago Outdoor Sports Show which continues a 30 + year tradition of sports shows gracing the shores of Lake Michigan and providing the Greater Chicagoland area a break from cabin fever.

While there are other shows in the vicinity of Chicago, for example shows in Wheaton and Lakemoor, I couldn't find any that were actually being held in Cook County unlike this show. Rosemont is outside the city limits of Chicago near O'Hare Airport.

I like the fact that they are co-locating the gun show with the outdoor sports show as it should bring higher traffic to the gun show. Given the onerous restrictions on gun ownership and even gun stores in Chicago, I'm guessing there might be some pent-up demand to go someplace where you can actually "touch and feel" a firearm and, with the proper documentation, buy a firearm.

I know the promoters are calling this the "first ever Chicagoland Gun Show" but I wonder if this is hyperbole. If any readers in the Chicago area know of gun shows in Cook County, either current or in the distant past, I'd love to know about it. You can post the info in the comments section.

Women And Shooting...In Chicago

We don't often associate positive media stories about women shooters with Chicago but CBS Chicago ran a story yesterday about the growth of women taking up shooting in the Chicagoland area.

Dianne McGrath used to spend her free time painting or doing needlework. But now her favorite pastime is shooting — something she thought she’d never do.

In fact, until last year, McGrath had never even touched a gun. It was her husband who encouraged her to learn to shoot for her own protection.

“You know, painting, needlework, guns. I don’t see what the problem is. It’s a really good progression,” she says of her new hobby. “It’s just another fun thing to do.”

McGrath says she’ll always remember the first time she fired a gun.

“It was a .22. I picked it up and I think I shook so bad I think the bullet went anywhere but where it was supposed to go,” she says, laughing.

But McGrath got better, and she was hooked. Now she says going to the range is actually more relaxing than needlework.

The only downside to this story is that CBS Chicago reporter Mai Martinez had to go to suburban DuPage County for it. I look forward to the not too distant future when we will see stories like this coming from within Chicago. When we do, it will be due to the legal work of attorneys Alan Gura and David Sigale and to courageous women like Rhonda Ezell and Colleen Lawson who paved the way.