Rock Island Today

Henry and Mercer counties are among 40 counties statewide that passed, considered or are considering a resolution declaring themselves “Sanctuary Counties for Gun Owners,” according to the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA).

The county resolutions are aimed at opposing state lawmakers’ efforts to pass restrictions on citizens’ gun rights, ISRA said.

When ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson issued a news release in July mapping the affected counties, 26 had passed the resolution and 14 more had placed put the resolution before their county boards, .

Law-abiding gun owners are seeing their Second Amendment rights eroded as some state lawmakers push for tougher gun-control measures in a bid to reduce violent crime in Chicago, according to Pearson's news release. The proposed restrictions include efforts to ban the use of certain firearms, magazines and body armor, a draft resolution states.

Responsible gun owners have nothing to do with the murder rate in Chicago, which has been fueled by gang violence, illegal drugs, lax sentencing and a failure to prosecute violent offenders, according to the ISRA.

Statewide, 2.3 million residents have firearms owners identification cards, while more than 300,000 people in Illinois hold concealed-carry licenses, the ISRA said. All of them are already subject to ongoing background checks when they purchase a firearm.

“Gun owners should be mad,” Pearson said in a prepared statement. “Gun owners are the 800-pound gorilla in the room, but they have to be organized.”

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Sanctuary Counties for Gun Owners

Resolution passed	Resolution being considered
Brown	Adams
Christian	Bond
Clark	Edgar
Clay	Gallatin
Cumberland	Jo Daviess
Douglas	Livingston
Effingham	Madison
Fayette	Marion
Ford	Menard
Greene	Mercer
Hamilton	Ogle
Hardin	Tazewell
Henry	Will
Iroquois	Williamson
Jasper
Jefferson
Lawrence
Monroe
Perry
Pope
Saline
Shelby
Washington
Wayne
White
Woodford

Source: Illinois State Rifle Association