Cabello Looks to Strip Elected Officials of Concealed Carry
Illinois State Representative John Cabello (photo right) this week advanced legislation in the Illinois House ensuring elected officials are held to the same rules as other citizens regarding the concealed carry of firearms.
Cabello (R-Machesney Park) won House Judiciary Committee approval of HB 1711, which removes special permissions allowing mayors, alderman, presidents, trustees, marshals, and deputy marshals to carry a concealed firearm in communities where other law abiding citizens are denied that right.
Currently, the law classifies each of these elected offices as “conservators of the peace” and so affords them special rights to carry a concealed firearm.
Cabello said he introduced this legislation as an attempt to level the playing field between lawmakers and citizens.
“In light of the gun control measures that the City of Chicago imposes on its citizens, it’s only fair that elected officials are held to the same standard,” said Cabello. “Elected officials are no better than the people they represent and they should not have rights that are restricted from their constituents.”
In order to be named a conservator of the peace and be allowed to concealed carry, these officials need to complete a training course and be issued a certificate from the Training Standards Board. Once given the certificate, a conservator of the peace has much the same function of a police officer. They can arrest and detain people on suspicion of crimes; in essence they become an arm of law enforcement.
Cabello’s bill would take these functions away as well as the right to conceal carry. As a law enforcement officer himself, Cabello believes that only police should be doing police work; rather than allowing police privileges to be extended to alderman or mayors.
Initially this bill targeted municipalities with a population of over 1 million. However, an amendment was filed to extend this provision to municipalities across the entire state. The bill would preserve the status of part-time and auxiliary police officers to be conservators of the peace thus would not affect them.
“John Kass hit it right on the head in his article,” noted Cabello. “A shop owner can’t protect himself with a firearm and is subjected to the mercy of thugs in the city. But elected officials have either body guards to protect them or are allowed to concealed carry.
My bill would reduce these officials to having the same rights that they are enforcing on those they represent.”
The bill now moves to the House floor where it will be considered by the full chamber in the coming weeks.
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