http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/40518947.html

I lived in the Chicago suburbs for most of my life and I have mixed feelings about concealed carry laws. In central and southern IL it would be a great. But up in the city maybe not. It would allow the "bad people" to legally carry a weapon. Chicago is already very scary downtown (in some parts) at night. But then again, I would want the right to protect myself should I ever be in the position. If they're carrying why shouldn't I be? I just can't make up my mind. I believe the the majority of the public should have the right to carry thats why I always end up voting for it.

Do you think the "bad people" care whether it's legal or not?

It's cut crime here.

"The statistics show why the previous skeptics became enthusiasts of law-abiding citizens having the ability to carry concealed pistols The following is a list of pistols, firearms that are normally meant for wielding one-handed and for self-defence, and that differ from revolvers and other singled handed weapons through their semi-automatic action.
..... Click the link for more information.. Between 1995 and 2004, handgun murders in Texas dropped by 18 percent. Gun owners proved to be much less likely than their peers to be arrested for non-violent crimes and violent crimes, including murder. And even though Texas (in 2004) had a population three million larger than when the bill was passed, the overall crime rate was lower in 2004-5,032 crimes per 100,000 Texans, as opposed to 5,478 crimes per 100,000."

According to friends in local law enforcement, the bad people are more deterred now due more people being armed legally. Only thing I worry about is all the rookies/newbs in the gun store buying handguns lately. This Obama scare deal is getting out of hand locally. Every time I or a friend has been in the gun store to shoot or buy ammo, it's a three ringed circus. I couldn't believe the dumb questions being asked in there last time.

 Quote: lucy kostelny

I lived in the Chicago suburbs for most of my life and I have mixed feelings about concealed carry laws. In central and southern IL it would be a great. But up in the city maybe not. It would allow the "bad people" to legally carry a weapon. Chicago is already very scary downtown (in some parts) at night. But then again, I would want the right to protect myself should I ever be in the position. If they're carrying why shouldn't I be? I just can't make up my mind. I believe the the majority of the public should have the right to carry thats why I always end up voting for it.

Lucy, I gotta ask this - how would CCW laws let "bad people" carry firearms? You have to undergo a background check including fingerprinting, etc. to get a CCW - so "bad people" are pretty much disqualified right off the bat due to their criminal history.
And as you and others in this thread have already pointed out...the criminals already carry and don't follow the laws, so CCW makes all kind of sense.

Will,
This is the crux of the problem with CCW as well as a clear cut right to defend yourself (see the "make my day" laws as some uninformed like to call them and the arguments against them or even the need to have them). Being scared of the possibility of the violence one may need to use to prevent being victimized is often as scary to people as the crime itself. Many people would like to envision a formula that would spare them, such as give in to the criminal, do what they say and you won't be hurt etc. But, the reality is that the selfish criminal mind, or the disturbed mind, or the altered mind doesn't work as normal peoples minds do.
it is a reality that violence against a person terrifies everyone in the community. So does the meeting of violence with the requisite violence needed in order to defend against being victimized. But, at least the later provides an end to the violence and the former propagates. Yet we will hear many espouse a doctrine of education, safety training for would be victims, and rehabilitation for the criminal and criminalization of the would be victim who turns the table on the criminal (and thereby doing the whole community a service).
The current onslaught of "terror" across the world is simply thuggery raised to the level of an attempt at social control. On the small scale the criminal is the same, taking control of the liberties of their victims and creating fear in the community. The gun, a symbol of violence to some, to liberties to others simply defines the differences between the musing of a few in our culture wishing they weren't being preyed upon and those in it that refuse to be preyed upon.
I may be quite jaded but I do not believe that we can eliminate criminal, or sociopaths behavior by talking about it, philosophizing about it, or by waiting for them to be rehabilitated. Making "victims" hard targets seems to make more sense to me.

 Quote: will rambeau

 Quote: lucy kostelny

I lived in the Chicago suburbs for most of my life and I have mixed feelings about concealed carry laws. In central and southern IL it would be a great. But up in the city maybe not. It would allow the "bad people" to legally carry a weapon. Chicago is already very scary downtown (in some parts) at night. But then again, I would want the right to protect myself should I ever be in the position. If they're carrying why shouldn't I be? I just can't make up my mind. I believe the the majority of the public should have the right to carry thats why I always end up voting for it.

Lucy, I gotta ask this - how would CCW laws let "bad people" carry firearms? You have to undergo a background check including fingerprinting, etc. to get a CCW - so "bad people" are pretty much disqualified right off the bat due to their criminal history.
And as you and others in this thread have already pointed out...the criminals already carry and don't follow the laws, so CCW makes all kind of sense.

Kevin,
Thank you for taking the time to write that well reasoned out reply - I hope that everyone reads it!