ISRA: Governor Quinn Moves To Give Criminals A Fighting Chance

CHICAGO, July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

Muggers, murderers, robbers and rapists breathed a sigh of relief today as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn handed down his amendatory veto of the state's long-awaited concealed carry bill.  In issuing his veto, Quinn severely restricts how and where law-abiding citizens may carry defensive firearms.  In essence Quinn's move nullifies the benefits of concealed carry thereby tilting the playing field once again in favor of violent criminals.

"Self defense isn't some sort of carnival game where the house stacks the odds against the good guy," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson.  "We're talking about defending the lives of everyday Illinoisans here.  The new restrictions appearing in Quinn's amendatory veto encumber good citizens to the point where carrying concealed becomes pointless – which is exactly the intention of the Governor and his friends in the gun control movement.  Quinn's move is a slap to the faces of the various groups that pulled together a concealed carry bill capable of passage through both chambers of the General Assembly."

"I'm confident that the General Assembly will override Quinn's amendatory veto," continued Pearson.  "The leadership in both the House and the Senate have come too far to allow a politically-unpopular governor hit the reset button on this very important issue."

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership.  For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

SOURCE Illinois State Rifle Association