Guns, politics and the Olympics
Posted by JP on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 23:41
link

This morning I heard a new report about gun advocates saying Chicago would need to loosen its gun restrictions in order to host Olympic events and if the city wanted downstate, pro-gun lawmakers support, city officials would have to back a state law letting downstate counties decide if they would allow concealed weapons. I asked staffer Nicole Milstead to check it out and here's her report.

During the annual gun rally day at the Capitol southern Illinois Democratic Rep.Brandon Phelps theorized how concealed-carry laws could help Chicago get the Olympics.
Phelps suggested lifting the ban on handguns in Chicago in order to allow shooting events for the Olympics.However, according to the city's Olympic bid, the shooting events would be held in Aurora where Chicago's gun laws don't apply.
Phelps said he knows that but is hoping that if city officials want him to vote for money for the Olympics they should give him concealed-carry.
"We want something in return. We’d like to have concealed carry or something like that in return. They are going to have to change their laws to allow shooting in Chicago. Right now you can’t even own a handgun in the city of Chicago. We’d like them to bring the shooting events down to Sparta,” Phelps said.
Sparta is home to a state funded shooting complex.