Several counties in rural Illinois are proclaiming themselves as "sanctuary" counties for gun owners in response to calls for tighter regulation.
The push for “sanctuary” status, a largely symbolic move, is intended to send a message to the Democrat-controlled state legislature.
“Illinois is rather unique in that the large Chicago population controls most of what happens in the Legislature in Springfield, and the down state counties feel left out and have a completely different world view than Chicago does,” says Dan Zimmerman, managing editor of The Truth About Guns.
Firearm advocates hope the 'sanctuary' status catches on in areas of California and New York which are in a similar situation.
“Thankfully we don't need that here in Texas because we're pretty pro-gun as it is, and we have laws that prevent cities and municipalities from creating greater gun control,” says C.J. Grisham at Open Carry Texas.
If things were different, Grisham is sure they would adopt the 'sanctuary' designation as well.