Video: Illinois Lawmaker Compares Gun Control To Castration

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 2, 2013 7:00PM

Illinois Rep. Jim Sacia

Illinois state Rep. Jim Sacia (R - Pecatonica) has became an internet darling this week for a spirited rant he gave in Springfield comparing gun control to castration while giving us another example of the second-class status many legislators who aren’t from Chicago feel about the Windy City.

During a seven-hour debate on the concealed carry bill that the state legislature must draft to comply with a December federal appeals court ruling, Sacia, a former FBI agent, took to the House floor and immediately dove into the short end of the pool head first. He said Chicago has a “gun problem” (Duh!) and debate over the limits of concealed carry isn’t about Democrats or Republicans, “It’s because Chicago wants a warm fuzzy.”

Sacia was only getting started. Let’s watch, shall we?

Sacia's comparison of the gun control debate to castration understandably wasn't taken well by some of his colleagues. Rep. Will Davis (D-Hazel Crest) called Sacia's outburst "one of the most offensive statements I've heard." Sacia told the Chicago Sun-Times he's heard just the opposite, while getting more digs in at Chicago's expense.

"My secretary in Freeport got one call from a lady in Chicago who insists I have a mental problem, but I would have expected that from someone in Chicago. The feedback has been unbelievably positive."

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Illinois' concealed carry ban unconstitutional last December, saying it “failed to meet (the) burden” of public safety that inspired the law. The court gave lawmakers 180 days to draft a new bill that would meet those guidelines. Debate over the new legislation began last month. Gun rights lobbyists have said they will settle for nothing less than full concealed carry, while Gov. Pat Quinn and other lawmakers have argued for limits to the law, like not allowing concealed carry in public spaces like malls, buses and trains.