Illinois mayor laments fact that concealed carry is playing almost everywhere BUT Peoria

By Gerard Valentino

There is an old saying that "if it plays in Peoria, it will play anywhere." Thankfully, Peoria, IL mayor Jim Ardis is now on record as supporting concealed carry in Illinois, and wants Peoria to be the test city.

Additionally, the Peoria Journal Star is reporting that the Illinois Sheriff Association has also passed a resolution in favor of legal concealed carry.

From the story:

Several local police chiefs and other personnel said putting fear into the minds of criminals on the streets is also one of the best arguments for allowing concealed carry.

"If you're not sure if a guy has a gun, you may not try to do some things to him that you might otherwise try to get away with," said Peoria police Officer Troy Skaggs, president of the Peoria Police Benevolent Union. "It's the fear of the unknown."

Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states without some type of concealed-carry law.

In February, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association passed a resolution supporting a concealed-carry law in Illinois, with several conditions in place.

Then in May, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis expressed public support for Peoria becoming a test city for statewide legislation that would allow people to carry guns in a responsible way.

During a recent 10-week stint at the FBI's National Academy, which brought 250 worldwide law-enforcement executives to Quantico, VA, Peoria Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard said, "Everyone I spoke to was in favor of concealed carry."

The stance of the Illinois Sheriff Association, Bartonville Police Chief and countless law enforcement agencies in Illinois stands in stark contrast to the opposition shown by noted anti-gun Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Daley, famous because of his childlike temper tantrum after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Second Amendment is an individual right, will never drop his opposition to concealed carry in Illinois.

Being that he commands so much power in the state, it is unlikely the citizens of Illinois will ever have their right to self-defense restored. Instead, Daley is likely to react in his typical childlike manner if concealed carry passes in Illinois.

The stance of the Illinois Sherriff Association and the Peoria administration shows progressive thought on the concealed carry issue which is the complete opposite of Daley's outlook on the issue. He made up his mind years ago that the people in his personal fiefdom of Chicago would never be allowed to carry concealed guns and that is the end of the issue in his mind.

Still, it is encouraging that the tide is turning in other parts of the state and that some officials are starting to see that concealed carry isn't a risk to public safety.

The anti-gun bias rampant in the Chicago media is also likely to color coverage of the debate so that honest people won't get an honest assessment of the pros and cons of concealed carry.

Daley has presided over some of the most violent years in Chicago's history, and somehow thinks sticking with the status quo will change the outcome. Clearly, his policies are a failure, and his administration is therefore a failure. Opening his mind to a new way of doing things isn't in Daley's nature, despite his inability to change the murder rate in a truly dynamic city.

Comparing the enlightened though process of Peoria Mayor Ardis to Daley's close-minded stance on concealed carry tells a lot about how both govern. Remember, Peoria is supposed to be the uneducated backwater town compared to the enlightened cosmopolitan thinking in Chicago.

The simple fact is Chicagoans should be embarrassed that Mayor Daley thinks so little of them that he refuses to support legal concealed carry. His lack of confidence of the citizens requires them to act and vote Daley out of office. That is a nearly impossible electoral outcome in Chicago, however, for a bevy of reasons.

Still, when the line supporting legal concealed carry statewide grows, and Daley is one of the few standing in opposition, it puts his decision-making ability in doubt. Many would argue that his decision-making ability was already in doubt and that this is just another case of Daley's close-minded way of handling problems.

Supporters of concealed carry reform in Illinois and supporters of reform in Chicago have run out of examples of Daley's poor policies. Reminding everyone that he lacks the ability to objectively govern Chicago is also getting old. At some point, Chicago's citizens need to take back their city from the likes of Mayor Daley.

As it stands, Mayor Ardis of Peoria has shown Daley for what he truly is – an aging leftist who hangs onto traditional 1960's liberalism regardless of progressive thought on governing a large city, and regardless of how the policies have failed.

What can't be argued is that Daley's hypocrisy knows no bounds, because he sees the benefit in using armed body guards for his protection while letting his citizens die, often in horrific ways.

Gerard Valentino is the Buckeye Firearms Foundation Treasurer and writes for the ValentinoChronicle.com.