The question of whether Illinoisans should be permitted to carry a concealed weapon has burst onto the scene because of a federal appeals court ruling striking down the state’s ban. Illinois is the only state which does not allow people to carry a gun outside the home.
That, however, is not the top issue for the director of a leading victims’ advocacy group in the state.
“The background check system, you could drive a truck through, there are so many gaps and loopholes in it,” says Northfield resident Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, director of www.Illinoisvictims.org. She says too many weapons are in the hands of the mentally ill.
Bishop-Jenkins, who gained notice for arguing against the death penalty for the killer of her pregnant sister and brother-in-law, says her views are her own and do not represent those of the group. The victims, she says, are a group as diverse as society.
As for self-defense, she points to the 1981 assassination attempt of President Reagan, surrounded by armed Secret Servicemen, and still the recipient of a madman’s bullet.
(Posted 12-16-2012 at 7:31am, Illinois Radio Network)