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TTAG reader Reni wrote this under the post Chicago DGU. I’ve lifted it from the comments section to create this new post.

“I was just thinking yesterday that I wish I could carry a gun. I’m a 26 year old girl with no history of being pro/anti guns. I moved to Chicago 2 1/2 years ago, from Michigan. I always felt safe there. I live in Logan Square. I work downtown. I play in Lincoln park. I love this city so so much. But… I constantly feel threatened and powerless. I feel that I live in a city filled with violent criminals; gangs who contribute to a higher death toll than an almost decade long war; kids who run around the city playing, ‘pick ‘em out and knock em’ out’; drug addicts everywhere; etc. . . .

I’ve been followed, had people giving me uncomfortable looks, had many men in my neighborhood harass me while walking down the street, told I shouldn’t be jogging at night… But I’m powerless. If someone wants to kill me, rape me, beat me up, rob me, anything… I’m not legally allowed to protect myself. I just have to let it happen and hope for “justice.”

It’s wrong, so wrong, for the city to outlaw carrying concealed handguns because under such a law, the only people who will carry a gun are the ones law-abiding citizens need to protect themselves against the most.

I am not okay with this. I am now pro gun. I think we would have a more peaceful, less violent city if people were allowed to carry concealed handguns, because people would think twice before trying to harm someone.”

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61 COMMENTS

  2. Right on! She hits the nail on the head. Tomorrow I am considering going into the city with family, I would carry if I could, but no sir, not allowed. I seriously think I will go elsewhere instead of risking my loved ones. It is time for Illinois to recognize my G-d given and 2nd amendment rights!

    • I think we need to start pushing a nationwide ban on visiting Chicago until their absurd anti-citizen laws are repealed.

      • We recently had to pass through Illinois to get to our destination on vacation. We had our guns but they were locked up in the back of the car and useless. We used to stop in Chicago and stay awhile when we were in the area. This time we got through as quick as we could.
        We were in 8 states in a week and were able to carry concealed in all but Illinois. If we had the time to go around we would have. If Illinois had concealed carry we probably would have spent a day or two there. I wonder how many tourism dollars they have to lose before they realize what they are doing. Not to mention all of the dead people from not having protection.

        • Yep, same thing when I go back east to visit the family. My carry permit is recognized by every state EXCEPT Illinois. So I buy gas and stay overnight in Iowa or Indiana, and stop in Illinois (at interstate rest stops) only to pee.

          Did you know that as a non-resident, without an Illinois FOID (firearms owner ID), you cannot stay in a motel in Illinois with your guns in the room? That makes them “readily accessible” to you, and without a FOID you are a felon. So you have to leave them locked up in your car overnight, where they are readily accessible to criminals.

          Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and safe about staying overnight in the People’s Republic of Illinois, doesn’t it? Like I said – I only stop in the PRILL to pee.

      • I just had a silly thought. We have long said that the difference between an anti, and a pro-gunner is one good mugging. Maybe we should require folks on the fence or more on the anti side to do some time in Chicago. Think about it.

  4. I will tell her what I would tell my kids if they described a situation like she is living with. MOVE. If you get raped or killed before anything changes it will be on you for not responding to a dangerous situation. I don’t know if you have the situational awareness and survival mindset yet to carry a gun. You are young enough that you haven’t distinguished between tactical and strategic. The tactical solution to your problem is to MOVE. Like tomorrow. The strategic is that you become active in 2A issues.

    • +1

      Same advice I give to people living in any 2nd amendment area. Move to a place where your rights are respected and you can defend yourself (not to mention you’ll have a lower crime rate before getting a CCW).

      • Unfortunately I can’t move. My job and wife’s small business aren’t mobile. We are stuck in northern Illinois. There is a race for state senate in my district and BOTH the democratic and republican have come out against concealed carry. That is what we have to deal with in this state.

        • Well you could move, it would just be very bad financially at this time, which is understandable. On the other hand, I’m willing to bet you were aware of how anti-gun Illinois was before you graduated from high school.

          Just saying that you had your chance to GTFO when you were young and not tied down.

        • @totenglocke…you are right about the first part, I could move, but it’s financially untenable on all levels. In regards to what I knew about gun control when I graduated from high school, I knew nothing, was completely unaware. No ones fault but my own on that one, but it was just not on my radar in 1989.

    • I’d love to move out, anyone in WI (outside of the big cities) want to hire an IT guy with over 10 years of experience managing client computers in large heterogeneous environments (>2000 clients) and providing 3rd level support?

      What large companies outside of the big cities even exist up there? The only one I know of is Kholer.

        • Nope, no golf for me. But my shooting experience would be much nicer, with so much farm land up there, I’m sure I could find someone who would allow me to shoot on it in exchange for a case of beer. I’m stuck with $25 per hour 50′ indoor ranges around Chicago with long wait lists, and having to blow black out of my nose for several hours afterwards. And i’m sure i’m slowly going deaf because my earmuffs are only rated for 18db reduction and my RFB is 170db. I could also own a suppressor up there

      • I used to have Kohler as an account when I did outside sales. Nice operation. Their men’s restroom at corporate is fancier than the one at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Chicago.

      • Do you like to shoot? Enjoy long walks in the country? Do you want to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture… and kill them. Boy have I got the job for you 🙂

        • lol wut? I ask for a job in WI and you try to sell me one in Afghanistan… At least I would be safer there than in Chicago.

    • “If you get raped or killed before anything changes it will be on you for not responding to a dangerous situation.”

      While moving is probably sage advice, you really ought not start blaming (potential) victims because of criminal acts of others. Regardless of where you live or circumstance you find yourself in, it WILL NOT be her fault. That gives the criminal element a pass.

      I don’t live in a generally dangerous area, but do occasionally have to go through “bad” areas for work and personal reasons – if I get mugged or worse, is that now my fault too?

      This “solution” is a tad condescending.

  5. The local and state levels of government in IL are representative of the people who elected them. Although there are plenty of people who have to live under their totalitarian rule, the majority of residents have choosen this lifestyle. The true victims are the people who did not choose the thugocracy and are unable to leave for one reason or another.

    • “The local and state levels of government in IL are representative of the people who elected them. Although there are plenty of people who have to live under their totalitarian rule, the majority of residents have chosen this lifestyle.“

      That leads up to the next problem. What to do when the only people who are willing to go for the job/position of a representative of the people are the very people you don’t want (and you don’t want the job… ya know…. mafia tactics could make you unwanted by the people or dead for not wanting to play the game when the game of politics is rotten to the core.) Hard to clean up the political mess and remove from power the anti-2A types in that situation.

      Just for fun, toss in the situation where it isn’t economically feasible to “get out of Dodge.”

      • Like I said the true victims are the ones who cannot leave for one reason or another. We all know how rotten IL is where political office is run like an eBay auction. Murder in general would not surprise me when it comes to politics. I mean how many Mexicans have we killed so far just to “let guns walk?”

  6. About Malcom: “He’s a good kid, never been in trouble before..”

    Never been caught before. Shows how out of touch “relatives” are. “Good kids” don’t just up and say “Hey! Today I am gonna try something new. I am gonna beat the crap out of someone because I am bored.”

    • Probably never been convicted before, I know a chicago cop, and every once in a while he looks up the “good kid, who’s never been in trouble before” and they usually have an arrest record that runs 2 to 3 pages.

  7. Reni needs to leave, taking with it her job and tax dollars. When Chicago starts to look like Detroit maybe then they will get it. If Rahm thinks it can’t end badly, look at the Motor City. Coleman Young didn’t think people would leave, he really believed he could do what ever he wanted and they would still live in Detroit, pay taxes, and put up with all that shit.

      • actually, Matt, Detroit is 15% non-Black and most of those are white. the “white flight” happened well before Coleman Young, and frankly hit most urban areas. Many (post-college age w/ no kids) have flocked back, however, in droves. Just not in Detroit.

        • Actually when Coleman Young was elected, Detroit was a majority white city. He got a lot of white votes and almost all of the black votes. He immediately used class and race warfare to divide the people and the white people and the blacks who could leave did and Detroit has paid for it ever since. I was and still am a suburban Detroit resident. I saw it happen and now the city is totally disfunctional.

        • I don’t blame those with kids for not moving back. The Guv’ner has slashed educational funding even more because of schools getting low marks, while his kids sit pretty and safe in private school. As if chopping away at school budgets is going to actually improve them instead of make a bad situation worse.

    • as someone one who was born and raised in Detroit, you are correct. Now all that is left are very small pockets of wealth and a few people outside those pockets with the means to leave (only waiting for the will to catch up) and an overwhelming majority who either cannot move (no car, no money, no job) or a stubborn refusal to see that they can control their own destiny instead of waiting for government assistance. My brother in law is one of those with the means but debating the move. His wife is shopping for homes in the suburbs and says she is leaving by the end of the year to move with their young child, and I have been encouraging him to buy a gun

    • Absolutely. When one gets to this point, then it’s simply time to pull up roots and move to safer territory.

      Most politicians are clueless about the electorate. They think we HAVE to put up with their BS when we simply do not.

    • Chicago’s population has fallen to the 1910 census level. That means that the city has lost more residents since 1970 than the total population of Detroit in 1970. There are three reasons why Chicago has not reached Detroit’s state of collapse — location, location and location. Chicago is the transportation hub of the United States. It the nexus of road, rail air and water transortation. It cannot be replaced. However, the city can and will decline to the population level required to support these functions.

  8. “I think we would have a more peaceful, less violent city if people were allowed to carry concealed handguns, because people would think twice before trying to harm someone.”

    This has been proven over and over again in states that uphold the constitutional right of a citizen to keep and bear arms.

  9. Does anyone know of a fairly large city that has been under non Democratic control for several decades? I know we tend to attribute the degeneration of the cities to progressive rule, but I think economics has had a large role in the decline of some once prosperous cities. I visited Detroit (Aunt and Uncle lived there) in the early 60’s and it seemed to be okay, not perfect, but not a wasteland either. I also believe that the progressive agenda and govening style did not help the business climate and had a negetive effect on the retention of jobs and industry.

      • salt lake is one of the cleanest cities i’ve ever been to. maybe the cleanest.it’s also the whitesess city i’ve ever been. which is saying a lot as i was born in west virginia. also, as a side note, if you like good looking blonde women, salt lake is the place to be.

        • it’s also the whitesess city i’ve ever been.

          Its only 75%. Go to Wisconsin, there are plenty of places over 90%.

  10. there’s no place in america for a hack like rahm. running from the problem doesn’t solve it. in november the dems need to be spanked so hard that their great grand kids will feel the pain. bill clinton learned and warned his party about the gun control issue. we need to hurt them so bad that just saying the word guns will get them banned from their party. only way shoet of a civil war ro free all americans.

  11. When policies scare capital out of a city, the people in charge spend even more they don’t have, and the few remaining producers tire of being chumps, then you have Camden NJ, Detroit, etc.
    Chicago has all the ingredients for failure, it will be reduced (like Detroit) to a small section where the office buildings are patrolled by heavily armed police. Highways will wisk workers in to their offices in the morning and take them home past the rotting neighborhoods. Slowly, the skilled ones will move to other parts of the country draining the pool of talent. A few major companies call it quits in favor of better weather and lower taxes and a few more will follow.
    I give it 10 years.

    • Better give it more. It was like that 40 years ago. Chicago is surrounded by a vast suburb, stretching 40 miles to the west, and all the way north to Milwaukee. These suburban sprawls have much lower crime rates (most of the housing being owned single family residences) that have an historic antipathy to firearms. These people mostly do not shoot or hunt, do not own firearms, and do not see the need for them, living in their social cocoons. They drive, cocooned again, in their cars or on the train, directly to the business areas of Chicago where they swadle themselves in the security of the skyscrapers. There is no reason for this status quo to change.

  12. *****But… I constantly feel threatened and powerless. I feel that I live in a city filled with violent criminals; gangs who contribute to a higher death toll than an almost decade long war; kids who run around the city playing, ‘pick ‘em out and knock em’ out’; drug addicts everywhere; etc. . . .******

    This is no accident. Criminals vote for their own. In Chicago, being a law abiding citizen makes you a minority. Unlike the rest of civilization, Chicago’s laws are not established for preservation of society but to enforce the status quo of criminal predation on the taxpaying resident.

  13. Osama bin Laden killed 3,000 Americans.

    Progressive policies nationwide result in that many deaths, if not more, in one year, not to mention the inconceivable economic, Constitutional, and traditional damages.

    Who are the real terrorists?

    And if anyone thinks Progressive politicians mean well but are just stupid, I disagree. Progressive VOTERS on the whole mean well but are stupid. The politicians know exactly what they’re doing and are every inch as vile, if note moreso, than any foreign terrorist.

    The only spark of light is that some people, like this woman, are waking up. Sadly, I don’t think it will be enough.

  16. My acceptance speech: “Thank you to everyone that grew tired of the continued insanity perpetuated by the R’s & D’s making a write-in campaign by a relatively unknown independant candidate a huge success. My first act as President will be to issue an Executive Order officially recognizing the 2nd Amendment as the law of the land in every state, county, parish, city and town: every square inch that is open to the public. Every citizen & legal immigrant who is not otherwise prohibited by Federal Statute is now authorized to carry, openly or concealed, firearms and bladed weapons. Any public official attempting to enforce a local law or ordinance in conflict with this Executive Order will find themselves being investigated and possibly prosecuted for violating a citizen’s civil rights. Now about that Obamacare thing……”

  17. “He’s a good kid. He gots a job. He never been in trouble before. He wanted to be in the FBI.”

    That’s just sickening. He beat an old man to death, sister. This isn’t a hard test of character to pass–beat to death or don’t beat to death?

    Regarding the Chicago resident who has become pro-gun, consider Wisconsin. Who would have thought that concealed carry would come there?

  19. Everyone seems to want to carry legally in Chicago. Why bother? It isn’t going to happen anytime soon. The bad guys have guns and carry them, so join them? Find something cheap but functional and carry it. Learn to use it well, buy frangible ammunition, and keep it clean. Wear gloves when you load it. Buy it on the street if you can, so there’s no paperwork.

    If you keep it well concealed until you have to use it, no one will know you’ve got it. Don’t show it off, don’t talk about it, and keep it well concealed. If you are forced to use it, use it. Most times just showing the weapon will end the confrontation. If that works, walk away. If not, do what you have to do. Assess the situation and either drop the magazine and then the weapon or walk away with it. don’t leave a loaded, functional weapon for some dipstick to pick up & use later.

    If you shoot a guy who needs shooting, nobody’s gonna care. He’ll be just another victim of the senseless violence that Chicago seems to be fond of. He was a good boy trying to turn his life around.

  20. The Aurora CO terror attack could happen any day in Chicago. It’s amazing that parents actually took their kids at MIDNIGHT to this show. Couldn’t they have waited until another day? What pleasure do some people get out of being FIRST (to see a movie in this case). It’s also beyond amazing that NOBODY had a gun with them. Is Denver/Aurora one of those places where concealed carry is prohibited in theaters and other places where many people gather? If so, why?
    The shooter paid no attention to a lot of laws or rules, even though they say he bought all the guns legally. The anti’s have always said they need better background checks, but this case proves that is specious. So the next step is mental evaluation for every gun owner and potential gun owner. Who gets to decide who is qualified? Does the qualifier qualify? Also DiFi says all these Concealed Carriers running all over the USA is DANGEROUS! By the way, the shooter had no CCW according to the news. So…………. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  21. What happened in Aurora Colorado will happen here in Chicago. I already heard some moronic politician calling for “more gun control.” What a dip. The only effect a law has is on the person who obeys it. Obviously, Mayor Emmanual must think that his gang bangers, and neighborhood thugs are sitting and waiting for more gun laws to obey. LOL Concealed carry legislation would benefit the crime-ridden neighborhoods of Chicago. The criminals would no longer be the only ones with guns. The sooner the silly politicians figure this out, the faster the problems will be solved regarding protection against criminals and crazies.

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