DRAWING A BEAD

Caligula Would Have Loved Home Rule

Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director, ISRA

Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, aka “Caligula,” became the Third Emperor of Rome in 37AD. Caligula earned his reputation as a madman because he committed heinous acts, such as murdering his predecessor, killing his in-laws, forcing his sisters into incestuous relationships, ruthlessly putting to death his political foes with trumped-up trials for treason, forcing the Senate of Rome to bestow awards on him for battles that were never fought, et cetera. It makes you wonder whether he was from Illinois, doesn’t it?

Caligula wrote an ordinance, which if violated by anyone, would mean certain death. He had the ordinance carved in marble and placed so high on a column that no one could read it; only Caligula knew what it said. And why would he do such a thing? Simple – to terrify the inhabitants of Rome, so he could control them. He used this ordinance to harass anyone and at any time.

Home rule ordinances regarding the transportation of firearms are very similar in nature to Caligula’s ordinance – no one knows what they are or where they are. These ordinances change from municipality to municipality, creating a crazy patchwork, which no citizen could understand.

The Illinois Constitution contains a provision for home rule – any municipality over 25,000 in population has automatic home rule and municipalities under 25,000 can vote in home rule by referendum. The home rule provision allows the above-described municipalities to make ordinances more restrictive than state law, and raise taxes higher than statewide limits. These ordinances apply only within the municipal boundary of the county, city, town, or village in which it was passed. The idea is to reflect the values of the local municipality through ordinances. Home rule has allowed locally elected officials to spend money on projects that nobody would have voted for if they knew how unnecessary or just plain worthless the project was. Those who argue for home rule say, “We should have the freedom to make our own rules,” but the problem is that their idea of freedom is the freedom to limit the freedom of others. That is not freedom; that is unadulterated tyranny. I am afraid some units of government have allowed their governing boards to be infected by “home rule hooligans,” with personal agenda that undermine all types of civil rights. When this is pointed out, those who worship at the altar of the dark deity of home rule say, “Well, just vote the rascals out, ” – this statement overlooks the fact that people who are not citizens of that a particular municipality cannot vote there. This would be the case for those people transporting their firearms through that municipality.

In the case of transporting firearms, home rule municipalities have produced a patchwork of different ordinances, which go way beyond the perfectly good State of Illinois’ rules. Law-abiding firearms owners cannot know all the obscure ordinances, because there are dozens of them and they are different from place to place. Some local ordinances require the disassembling of the firearm, trigger locks, and special storage requirements; others require a variation of all three. Firearms are like the old wind-up alarm clocks, easy and fun to take apart, but impossible to put back together; for most people anyway. And even if you could put them together they will never shoot the same way as before. Of course, the anti-gunners who infest these local boards and councils don’t care; in fact they are glad that it causes inconvenience.

The argument for complicated transportation ordinances is that they prevent or inhibit, in some unknown way, criminals from transporting their already illegally possessed firearms. Criminals disregard these transportation ordinances, because by merely possessing a firearm they have already broken five or six laws. I don’t think that being charged with improper transportation of a firearm is much of a deterrent to a criminal. Such ordinances, while not affecting criminals, are devastating to law-abiding citizens. These transportation ordinances are aimed at the legitimate gun owner, period. Part of the anti-gunner’s agenda is to attack law-abiding gun owners with harassing ordinances. These obscure transportation ordinances are perfect examples.

In an effort to clear up the firearm transportation problem, Senator Todd Sieben (R-Galesburg) and Representative Brandon Phelps (D-Marion) sponsored SB2104. SB2104 sought to make the statewide standard for transporting a firearm, unloaded and cased. We originally passed SB2104 by wide margins in both the House and the Senate. We overrode the Governor’s veto in the Senate, but missed by only four votes in the House. Below are Representatives who changed their vote from being for SB2104 to being opposed to it – these Representatives buckled under the pressure from the Mayor, the Governor, and the Speaker of the House. Here is a list of those who could not stand the heat:

By the way, Caligula, his wife, and his only child were murdered by members of his own Praetorian Guard in the year 41AD, a good solution in 41AD, but not acceptable these days. The best idea would be to get rid of Home Rule altogether.

Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director, ISRA

 

The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) is in the forefront fighting for our gun rights – we need your support. If you’re not already a member of the ISRA – join today. To become a member or for more information, please call 815.635.3198 or visit this web page to join on-line or download an application.
 

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