By DEBORAH GERTZ HUSAR
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Pike County voters sent a message Tuesday in favor of gun rights.
A question on Tuesday's primary ballot asked whether the county should adopt a constitutional carry of arms ordinance — and the answer was resoundingly yes by a vote of 3,214 to 550.
Pittsfield chiropractor Dan Mefford spearheaded the ballot issue which he said had wide support from Democrats, Republicans and independent voters.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's a poke in the eye for the thieves of liberty," Mefford said. "It's a thing whose time had come."
Winning voter approval was key in sending what Mefford called "a strong message" to people outside Pike County.
The courts ultimately will decide on the proposed ordinance stating "the people have an individual and fundamental right to keep and bear arms free of infringement by any local, state or federal government; and further, that the method or manner of possession, carrying or transporting said arms shall not be infringed."
But, Mefford said, with the privilege comes great responsibility — from education on the law to proper handling of a firearm.
"If you're basically carrying in public, you keep your weapon in a pocket or holster and that's where it stays. It doesn't come out for any reason unless life and limb are in danger," Mefford said. "You don't show it to people, don't take it out and play with it."
Mefford argues that it's already law in the land with the Second Amendment and its promise that the right of the people to keep and bear arms should not be infringed.
Pike County's proposal takes it a step further by saying the right cannot be infringed by any local, state or federal agents or government agents.
"Shall not be infringed is a pretty simple phrase," Mefford said before the election.
The Pike County Board meets Monday night but may not be ready to discuss guidelines for the ordinance. "We will need to do something and take an active role," Board Chairman Andy Borrowman said.
"There's going to have to be discussion on how we go about licensing or whatever we go through," Borrowman said. "The sheriff, I would say, would have a big stake in the process. We could also try to enlist the help of PASA Park to maybe do something. We're going to have to decide what sort of a process we use."
Mefford said Borrowman asked him to attend the next meeting of the county's public safety committee which will work on the guidelines.
The ordinance, as proposed, excludes all individuals prohibited from possessing firearms under federal laws, minors and those under any intoxicating influence exceeding standards of the Illinois Motor Vehicle code.
Organizers gathered more than 1,300 signatures on the petition, well above the 528 required, to put the issue on the ballot.
Mefford hopes to see the issue spread statewide, and he expects that will have to happen county by county.
The constitutional carry initiative follows a 2009 drive, spearheaded by then-Pike County Board member Mark Mountain, against new gun laws and for a conceal-carry law in Illinois. Dubbed Pro2A, it swept through the state, winning support from 90 of the state's 102 counties. In May, the County Board endorsed a Brown County push for a conceal-carry law in Illinois.
The effort taps into a growing frustration with what many consider encroachment on constitutional rights, especially Second Amendment rights.
Forty-nine states have legal carry of some sort, and eight have constitutional carry allowing people to carry in any manner or method as long as they don't intimidate another person.
"I don't know if the Chicago machine can ignore this or not," Mefford said. "They do manage to ignore us down here, but it's a movement I think will sweep. Maybe this time, again, Pike will be a trendsetter."
— dhusar@whig.com/221-3379
