Daily Herald

Both Gov. Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner are unhappy with the concealed carry legislation that is now the law in Illinois, but that's where their agreement on Second Amendment issues ends. The upcoming gubernatorial race pits Rauner, a hunting enthusiast, against Quinn, a longtime gun control supporter. During Daily Herald editorial board meetings with both candidates, they expressed distinctly different views on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, background checks and more.
Even problems with concealed carry are a cause of contention between the incumbent Democrat and Republican businessman from Winnetka.
A federal judge last year forced Illinois to permit concealed carry, the last state to do so. Quinn tried to add restrictions to the eventual proposal, but the legislature overrode his amendatory veto last summer.
"I really don't think it is proper for people to have a concealed gun on their person in a bar, but the legislature said otherwise," Quinn said.
Rauner says the right to carry a concealed weapon was a long time coming, but he believes the law is too confusing for gun owners because of specifics about where someone can and can't carry a gun.
"Concealed carry in Illinois was long overdue," Rauner said. "But, frankly, I think the one that got passed is too convoluted to be really good."
Rauner didn't specify if, or how, he would try to clarify it as governor.
"I don't have the perfect answer for it," he said.
Both Rauner and Quinn have said they want to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.
"I believe we should have policies to keep guns out of the hands of severely mentally ill folks and criminals," Rauner said. "We should do everything we can to make sure guns are not in their hands."
Rauner said he won't go further than that.
"Going much beyond that raises all kinds of constitutional questions and we've got to be very cautious," Rauner said.
Quinn, meanwhile, said he will try again to get an assault weapons ban passed in Springfield.
"We fell one or two votes short, but we're not giving up," Quinn said.
To help garner support in Springfield the next time around, Quinn said he is asking the voters for advice.
That's why, on Nov. 4, Cook County ballots will include an advisory referendum on gun control issues.
"Our legislators need to see how the public feels about this, not just lobby groups that may be very loud," Quinn said. "We'll let the voters speak. We have to show them at the ballot box."
The initiative reads, "Shall the Illinois General Assembly enact the Illinois Public Safety Act (Senate Bill 3659) which would require universal background checks for firearm transfers and prohibit the sale and transfer of assault weapons, assault weapon attachments and high capacity ammunition magazines?"
Quinn said he will use the results to move the cause forward.
"I believe in democracy; some things don't happen overnight," Quinn said.
State Sen. Dan Kotowski, who sponsored the failed ban on assault weapons, said voters in Cook County will demonstrate they want more gun control.
"There's a great deal of support for reasonable gun safety measures," Kotowski said.
But Rauner said the problem of violence has deeper roots than gun control.
"Politicians like to talk about gun control to cover up their failure on crime and violence," Rauner said. "The real issue with violence and crime isn't gun regulation primarily; it's really poverty."
Rauner pivoted back to his plans for business and economic growth as a way to help families and bring down violence and gun crime in Illinois.
Though Rauner has campaigned on being a hunter and a supporter of the Second Amendment, he doesn't have the backing of the state's largest gun rights organization.
The Illinois State Rifle Association endorsed Kirk Dillard during the GOP primary and has declared "no preference" in the general election.
"He didn't answer our questionnaire, and we are kind of particular about that," said Richard Pearson, executive director of the association. "We want to know where people stand."
Pearson said the group needs a strong declaration of support for an endorsement.
"You won't tell us where you stand, we won't endorse you," he said. "I hear what (Rauner) says, but he never said it to me in writing."

There was a new (to me at least) Quinn ad on WGN this morning.

Accuses Rauner of supporting ownership of evil baby killer assault rifles
that can spray 350 bullets into a school in less than a minute.

Couldn't find it on Youtube yet.  I hope it goes up.  I thought it was a parody
ad at first it was so over the top.

[ETA:  IT'S UP!!

We need to get the word out for Schimpf for attorney general and get rid of that whore Lisa!  We need the madigan machine to be taken out of office I hope Rauner wins and we get term limits here.

That is a real ad?  And voters believe this stuff?

People who know nothing about firearms will believe it.

First the ad - I can't believe that they used Slate magazine as a source for anything. Old saying, but I didn't know that a clip was able to hold 350 rounds and fire them all in 30 seconds. Oh wait....that was for the Bushmaster machine gun (not Bushmaster the AR manufacturer). Never let a good misconstrued truth get in the way of a good lie!  But people dumb enough to want to remain in Illinois and vote for Quinn will buy into anything. Cook County voters....some of the dumbest in the nation...and thanks to what? Their schools....and why? Morons teaching morons.....

Second - I am so glad that I escaped Illinois to the other side of the river in Iowa last year! The pure idiocy of Illinois politics is actually fun to watch from my new vantage point....it was infuriating growing up there and returning after getting out of the Army (I should have stayed in Texas!)....but I'm happy that I met my fiance' and that she wanted me to come to this side of the river (she doesn't care for Illinois much).

I feel bad for all of you that want to leave but can't.....I really do. Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and Wisconsin (kind of) are all better places to live than what Illinois has become.  The Iowa side of the QCA is incredible....come to the Free-er side!!

This is what I thought of when I seen that ad this morning.

I just saw that ad now and it made me so mad I had to check here to see if anyone else had seen it yet.

It amazes me that these Quinn supporters are so stupid/gullible, but they are and will think that this is all true.

What disappoints me the most is that the Rauner camp is not running a particularly good campaign at a time Quinn should be most vulnerable.

These are the same people who voted for our current president.

Can somebody envision a 30-second commercial that refutes the Quinn ad?  We know about rates of fire, magazine sizes, full-auto vs. semi-auto, etc., but those who don't know will just think we're blowing smoke up their asses and playing word games if we start spouting that stuff out.

OK, I have one idea.  A black screen with five words - QUINN IS LYING TO YOU - and a URL to a website explaining the lies.  Then again, the people who will vote for Quinn are probably also in the TL;DR crowd.

I saw it on tv tonight. Had to laugh

Well stated.

and for God's sake none of ewe morons vote for the librarian candidate - now THAT my friend is going full retard

I don't like the beady eyed billionaire but after that commercial he now has my vote.

Two pieces of shit fighting to be king of shit hill.

I don't know Rauner's stance on the 2A but I do know Quinn's.  Quinn, Madigans (plural) and Cullerton need to go.  

At this point it really doesn't matter who gets elected to office.  IL is too far gone to be saved.  100B in the red?  You just don't recover from that without major cuts to pensions, getting rid of pensions for current employees, getting rid of public employee unions, not letting people retire just because they worked thirty years for the state, etc.

IL was first warned that it's pension system was not sustainable back in 1959.  But no politician wanted to be "that guy" that tried to put an end to the lucrative pensions.  It would be a career ending move.

So the state sells 1B in bonds each year to make the pensions obligation payment.  Great idea, let's finance debt for thirty years and do it each year.  

At this point I just don't care.

+1

That is the truth. I had to pause a while before casting my vote. I went for the one that would be best for me and my family. By best I mean is likely to hurt us less than the other.

Fuck Quinn.

Quinn needs to go before:

1) He finishes completely bankrupting the state.

2) Strips us of our firearm rights.

3) And finishes chasing the rest of the businesses out of Illinois.

Rauner is not the best person to be Governor, but he beats the hell out of Quinn.

This . If you vote for anyone other than Rauner , you might as well just cast a vote for Governor Potato head it will be the same thing

The Unions have poured 100's of thousands of dollars in to the independent idiot's campaign in an attempt to siphon off Republican votes.

I cannot wait to get out of Illinois. I will be moving my family back to Missouri in the spring, and the sole reason is  Illinois' politics and legislature.

I hate to see good people leave the state but applaud those that are escaping!

I really hope Quinn loses . I don't want to go through round two with gun rights with this prick again.