Cook County Board taking aim at Second Amendment

March 6, 2008
Cook County's anti-gun advocates are drawing fire from some big shooters.
Dan Thomas, president of the Great Lakes Sports Fishing Council, contacted me with some interesting facts about what happens when the citizenry is disarmed.
"Twelve months ago, gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed," Thomas wrote in an e-mail. "The first-year results are now in: Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent, assaults are up 8.6 percent and armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!"
Thomas met recently with management at Cabela's, one of the world's premier outdoors retailers, and reported that the outfitter is firing back at the Cook County Board's threatened legislation which would effectively eliminate the sale of firearms and ammunition countywide.
The Hoffman Estates retailer emphasized it employs more than 300 people, of which two-thirds are Cook County residents who earn nearly $4 million in wages and benefits. The impact on the local and state economy would be devastating, considering the annual tax revenue for the county is $675,000, and another $1.8 million to Hoffman Estates and more than $3 million to the state. The debate seems to include the only thing the cash-strapped board understands: dollars, but not sense.
For a list of legislation that will impact your Second Amendment rights and your ability to hunt and participate in recreational and competitive shooting sports, log on to the Illinois State Rifle Association's Web site www.isra.org. The ISRA will host Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day on March 11 in Springfield.