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OFF THE WIRE
by Ben Bullard
A Chicagoland mayor is embracing concealed carry in a very personal
way, revealing he’s parting ways with an influential gun-control group
after learning the group’s agenda goes far beyond its implied purpose of
taking guns out of criminals’ hands.
Larry Morrissey, mayor of Rockford, Ill., a Chicago suburb, announced
at a town hall forum Saturday he had dropped out of Mayors For Illegal
Guns, the gun-control group begun by New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, after realizing the group is more interested in infringing on
Americans’ 2nd Amendment rights than in making sure that criminals
don’t “illegally” get their hands on firearms.
“The reason why
I joined the group in the first place was because I took the name for
what it said – ‘against illegal guns,’” Morrissey said. “As the original
mission swayed, that’s when I decided it was no longer in line with my
beliefs.”
Morrissey, who won election in 2005 as a political
independent, said he’s received death threats since taking office, and
had so far availed himself of extra protection offered by the Rockford
Police Department in order to keep himself and his family safe.
But he believes citizens should have the power to keep themselves safe,
regardless of whether they have the luxury of a police detail. He told
the a crowd of more than 200 that he intends to apply for an Illinois
conceal carry permit — an announcement that garnered him a roar of
applause.
“Any doubt that I might have had in my opinions
about concealed carry when I first came into office changed quickly as I
became an elected official and became very familiar with the types of
crimes we’re dealing with,” he said. “The focus should not be against
law-abiding citizens… I don’t want to put my family’s life at risk or my
own life at risk if I can otherwise protect myself.”
H/T: Rockford Register Star