Means of Self-Protection

Forwarded by email from Dan Proft, Republican Candidate for Governor of the State of Illinois.

Amen. Refer to my blog of 3/9/08 "Guns and Safety". If I had a gun, and maybe I do, no law would take it away from me. I have always supported the rights of people to have or carry concealed weapons legally.

Merle


September 30, 2009

News Release: Bill of Rights Likely Coming to Chicago

SCOTUS Takes Up Chicago Gun Ban Case

(Chicago, Illinois) - In response today to the United States Supreme Court's writ of certiorari in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, a case centering on the constitutionality of the City of Chicago municipal handgun ban, conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft issued the following statement:

"I look forward to the day when residents of Chicago will be given their full complement of Constitutional rights, including the individual right to the means of self-protection. Given the Supreme Court's recent decision in the Heller case in which the Court clearly held that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, I cannot see how municipal gun bans like that in Chicago can pass constitutional muster.

"Overturning the Chicago gun ban would not only be good constitutional law, it would be good public policy. The City of Chicago is routinely at the top of the list nationally in per capita murders. Mayor Daley's wrongheaded policies have made people less safe, particularly those in violent neighborhoods, by disarming law-abiding citizens in favor of well-armed criminals.

"Restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens based on the actions of those who exercise their rights recklessly runs counter to the principles of a free society. If my neighbor yells "Fire!" in a crowded theater, he is punished. But my First Amendment rights are not restricted. Similarly, if my neighbor commits a crime with a gun, he should be punished. But my Second Amendment rights should not be restricted.

"I am hopeful that the Supreme Court's decision to take up this case will result in a newfound respect for people who play by the rules in Chicago and throughout Illinois; law-abiding citizens who have long been denied the exercise of their fundamental, Constitutional rights because of Chicago Democrats who think they can make up the rules as they go."

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