So far, 5,000 license applications have been approved and are in the process of being printed and mailed, Illinois State Police Col. Marc Maton said at a news conference in Chicago.
The first licenses likely will go to the earliest applicants: firearms instructors and others who submitted electronic fingerprints ahead of the official Jan. 5 launch of the online application process. The early applicants were part of a program to “beta test” the capacity of the system, Maton said.


Read more: http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140228/News/140228950#ixzz2ugkK1Fkq

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140228/NEWS/140228950/10924/NEWS?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&refresh=true

This is very good for the good guys in the State of Illinois, and the City of Chicago; I will bet, for Bragging Rights, that within Six Months, the Violent Crime Rate in Chicago will drop by double digits; any takers?

So will you take my bet?

I'm for reviving the Deacons for Defense once again, and for expanding such self defensive actions in all of the inner cities; only once in their history (1964 to 1968) did they ever have to shoot someone as they provided security to civil right rallies, Freedom Riders, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Martin Luther King Jr. as a Klansman charged the car that was evacuating a Black Girl that had been beaten during a rally.
The Armed Blacks ended the Klans practice of marching through Black Neighborhoods by peacefully standing on the streets with their rifles at the ready, ended the threat of Klan turning away Black Children entering "White Schools" by overseeing them with Shotguns as the Klan found other matters to attend to; the Deacons were so effective, that in '68 the Klan had Congress & LBJ pass new restrictions on buying, and carrying guns thus ending the Deacons for Defense.

I am sure you do get excited by the idea of vigilantie gangs roaming the streets doling out arbitrary justice. Sadly like most Americans you miss the point... a society that is built on the pursuit of wealth at the expense of the most vunerable is devoid of "good guys" The weapons you people so rigorously defend the right to own are just another symptom of a society that pisses on the weak and uses violence to keep the poor down. No my country is far from perfect but I am talking about the culture and attitudes of our society compared to yours. You people claim your country is special and you point to the most succesful and wealthy people as evidence of this. We judge the health of our nation/society on how we treat the most vulnerable...we point to things like our welfare system and our free health care for all as evidence of our "greatness" Crowing on about your ability to own deadlier and deadlier weapons and as a people activly legislating for new ways to conceal them is so beyond the pale I cant believe someone could take pride in it.

Which country are you from?
FYI: the Deacons for Defense weren't "Vigilantes" as they only stood guard when they faced the Klan as the Klan ran away;only once did a Deacon ever had to fire to defend an injured young girl. - Not the sort of actions taken by vigilantes.

Anywho, my bet for Bragging Rights is still on the table as I bet that crime in the Inner-City of Chicago will drop by Double Digits within Six Months; will you take it?

Strong words which I disagree with.
I happen to think the US is a great Country.
You say America's demise can't come quick enough, so who will help the rest of the world, let's see, Russia, China, I don't think so.
I take it by the name, IrishGordon that you are Irish, so you probably will hate me too because I'm English.

Your assumption that I would hate because you are English and I am Irish says a lot about your view of Irish people. Pure and unadulterated racism is what you have expressed. The idea that America helps the world is ridiculous. America dominates the globe for its own good through its massive military which is bigger than Russia and China multplied many times over. America declares itself the enemie of terrorism when in reality it is the biggest perpetrator of terror in the world. It supports oppressive regimes that torture their own people because it allows them access to oil. And then they wonder why certain people hate them. Now we might say thats the government doing that but the whole country are oppsessed with guns and violence and as the first guy posted they celebrate new ways to kill as if carrying weapons of death is something to be proud of.

A quick look at the violent Crime Rate in Ireland shows that even Chicago looks safe.
"The Garda division of Roscommon/Longford narrowly edged Mayo as the region with the lowest crime rate, with an average of just 325 offences per 10,000 population — less than half the rate in Dublin or Limerick. Low crime levels were also recorded in Donegal, Clare, and Tipperary.

Limerick has the highest crime levels for sex offences and criminal damage to property, while Waterford has the worst crime rate for assaults and weapons and explosives offences."
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/special-report-crime-analysis-reveals-meanest-and-safest-streets-234001.html

Maybe you should look to your own first before you start to lecture others with a lower crime rate; and you have a Gun Ban in place for all the good it does for the Honest, Law Abiding Citizens.

And my bet for Bragging Rights is still out there; will you take?

No doubt there is plenty of gun crime in Ireland...but its commited by criminals. And I am sure that the stats would measure up when compared to some parts of the states. But see if you can check the numbers on this... how many instances are there on record in Ireland of kids gaining access to automatic weapons and killing their classmates. I think you'll find that the answer would be 0 instances. As a society America glorifies the use of violence and the notion that God told George Washington et al that everyone must own guns. It would be funny if you just kept that kind of nonsense within your own borders. However as the palestinians,Iraqi's, Afghans, Colombians, Vietnamese and many others would attest to..America exports violence around the globe and you are an active part of that.

what "Automatic" Weapons,Sunshine?
Go carry your Hate somewhere else,or have a civil discourse!
Slagging off another Country ain't a Civil discourse!
BTW,go sign up for Firearms101,because your Knowledge is sorely lacking,so is your grasp of US Firearms-Codes!
ANd your Rant is just that,an uninformed Rant full of Hate!

Got BURR,Sonny?

and you,like most Europeans never get the point!
Actually your foolish Rant is beyond the Pale,and absolutely uncalled for!

Boy done went and disactibated. Prematurely, I would imagine.

I would also wager that in a short time of gun toters defending themselves, chickenshits will think twice about knockout games, knifepoint robbery attempts and other various acts of violence.

The death by gun rate might spike a little at first. Then, drop like a rock.

maybe he had help!

It's global warming! No wait.....Bush! It's all bushs' fault.....wait....racism, it's racism.....or maybe....hold on...it's the Repulsicons! That's it! The Repulsicons and FOX dood it!



Enough fingers get pointed they'll find someone to blame it on!

Even if it works for good, the liberal media spin will make everyone dizzy over it!

What a super intelligent set of malarkey. How much intelligence does it require to understand freedom, a lifetime of servitude. For a country deprived of the right to defend themselves is but a country of victims and at least half of Ireland is the shining example of forced servitude.

And the difference between Americans and yourself, Americans strongly discourage that "inbred" idiot syndrome and you call them "royalty" and give them the right to disarm you and enslave you.

So I will take this good ole US of A any day. And beware of America's demise as it will occur but when the throw out the trash, that would bury the British Isles at the bottom of the heap.

So just one big old entitlement system, but what happens when you run out of blood. What do the leeches suck on then? Do you get into your little boats and go somewhere else.

You should try America sometime, you would feel right at home in the inner cities. But then maybe not, your mouth would soon overload your butt and then there are the guns, the guns that the law abiding citizens have had taken from them.

No the pure and unadulterated racism would be an individual thing, like yourself. And by the way, why not stop and educate yourself, America is everything from the southern tip of Argentina to the very most northern reaches of Canada. So what you are really trying to disparage would be the United States, a country that you haven't a clue about what is and isn't. It would be paramount to declaring the Irish idiots based on your person.

And before you again get upon your high horse, you should perhaps look at your own country, your history of oppression and greed.

Perhaps you should stop your ignorance for a brief period and take a look at the Magna Carta as it is the base upon which we designed out freedoms, the freedoms your country has forsaken.

The big difference being we fought for out freedom twice from the tyranny of England and we may need to do it again again with the difference being, we can.

Piers Morgan's Irish Cousin!