ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Rock Island County Republicans are encouraging people to vote "yes" on November 3 for a county-wide proposition.
The question: "Should the Illinois General Assembly protect a citizen's right to keep and bear arms as defined by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution?"
"It's not going to be yes or no on the Second Amendment," Russell Christ said during a press conference Wednesday morning, October 7. "Do you believe it should be maintained or protected by our legislature or not? Point-blank. Yes or no."
Christ, who's the committeeman for South Rock Island's 14th precinct, says he worked to get enough signatures to get the question on this year's ballot.
Rock Island County Republican chairman Drue Mielke says the proposal stems from five gun control laws the General Assembly has passed in recent years.
"If the legislature is passing these unconstitutional, questionable laws, they should be called out," he said Wednesday. "And they should realize, their constituents across the state are calling them out and saying, 'This is not what we want in Illinois.'"
Mielke said if the proposition passes, it won't impact or change any laws or policies. But he and supporters say it'll send a clear message to Springfield.
Supporters also say this proposition is critical after the Rock Island County Board failed to pass a proposal last year that would've made the county a gun sanctuary along with 40 other counties in the state.
