by: Diane Benjamin
Two items in today’s Pantagraph are appalling. First they opine the labor force in Bloomington-Normal is shrinking because baby boomers are retiring. People are also leaving – but of course they haven’t noticed that.
So, not enough babies are being born to replenish the population. It’s a problem across the country. Think hard. Why did the birth rates suddenly drop? I can give you at least 50,000,000 reasons. Figure it out. Decisions have consequences, and now we are living with the result.
But the Pantagraph got A LOT worse.
In their Cheers and Jeers column they jeered State Bank of Lincoln for reversing their policy against allowing conceal carry in the bank. Your comments show how far left Lee Enterprises and the Pantagraph leans. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about!
Illinois requires 16 hours of training for concealed carry. SIXTEEN hours! I took the 16 hours of training last weekend. If anybody at the Pantagraph had bothered to investigate, they would know that carrying a gun means protecting life! The police take at least minutes to arrive. Why not have well-trained armed citizens? Guns don’t shoot themselves. In fact, concealed carry guns have a harder to pull trigger to prevent accidental discharges.
Putting a sign on the door of a business that concealed carry guns are not allowed is an invitation to anybody wanting to shoot a lot of people. Think the theater shooting in Colorado. The shooter drove past other theaters that did allow concealed carry to go to the ONE with a sign not allowing guns! How did that work out Pantagraph? If one person had a gun the story could have been different.
Final note to liberal wackos who don’t believe in the 2nd amendment: Crime has gone down everywhere concealed carry is legal. In Illinois it’s barely legal because of all the places carry isn’t allowed. Citizens are sitting ducks at schools, daycare facilities, government offices, hospitals, on public transportation, stadiums, libraries, airports, amusement parks, and zoos because you fail to educate yourself. Illinois hung out a sign: SHOOT PEOPLE HERE – NOBODY WILL SHOOT BACK. Guns are a last resort, every concealed carry holder knows that. You can go hide behind your desk and hope you are protected enough. I bet your story would change if you were ever in a shooting situation. Maybe somebody with courage would protect your sorry butt.
CHEERS: State Bank of Lincoln
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Diane, you are doing a “yeomans” job reporting the truth about concealed carry in Illinois. The training is extensive and the applicants have been screened. A trained and armed citizen can be a life saver in threatening situation. The general public is poorly informed or disinterested regarding their gun rights and the need to preserve them. Wake up!
Diane, Please edit the last sentence of the fourth paragraph. It is not a fact of law that concealed carry weapons have “a harder to pull trigger.” The carrier can choose any pound trigger pull they wish. There is no law directing or suggesting what trigger pull should be in the state of Illinois.
I’m guessing your instructor was suggesting a more difficult trigger pull on a carried weapon because there are some legitimate safety and legal (should a discharge occur) benefits to this.
As for the substance of your article- I AGREE TOTALLY. In fact, I closed my account at Mid-Illini Credit Union last week for the exact same reason. I attached a letter to the president and board and have yet to see a response.
I didn’t mean that as a law. I tried three small guns at the class and all three had very hard to pull triggers. Even with ear protection all three were very loud. I wouldn’t want to pull one without your protection. Good training that a gun is the last resort.