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Monday Morning Humor Or Look What I Found Cleaning The Garage

June 5, 2017 by 4 Comments

Now that the Complementary Spouse and I have finished cleaning out my late mother’s house for the soon-to-be new owner, we have been working on a place for all the stuff I thought about keeping. Thus, we spent a good part of this past weekend cleaning our garage and reorganizing stuff.

In the process I found this old cardboard IDPA/USPSA target. I’m not sure if it was mine or just one I picked up at the range. (Yes, I know that whomever this belonged to needs to work on their grip as the shots were grouping low and left.)

The Complementary Spouse suggested hanging it outside of our front porch as a bad guy scarecrow as that big center mass hole might give any thug, home invader, or other miscreant second thoughts.

That’s an interesting idea but I’m not sure what Massad Ayoob or Andrew Branca would have to say about that. As it is, the target will be going to our local recycling center and not to our front porch.

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Omnibus Gun Bill Finally Moving In NC General Assembly

June 1, 2017 by 1 Comment

HB 746 is finally moving forward in the North Carolina House of Representatives. This bill, the Omnibus Gun Changes, favorably passed out of the House Judiciary IV Committee yesterday. It will now go to the House Finance Committee for review. The most important feature of this bill is that it provides for constitutional carry or permitless carry of concealed handguns. Open carry without a permit has been the law in North Carolina since 1922 thanks to the NC Supreme Court’s ruling in State v. Kerner.

Grass Roots North Carolina has issued an alert thanking those on the House Judiciary IV Committee who voted in favor of sending this bill forward. They also note that Rep. Sam Watford (R-Davidson) has said he has plans to introduce weakening provisions to this bill even though constitutional carry is part of the 2016 NC Republican Platform.

From GRNC:

ONE STEP CLOSER
Good news! Today, freedom lovers scored a big victory in the
House Judiciary IV Committee …

Your efforts are paying off! Due to the hard
work of gun rights supporters like you over the last several weeks, the
omnibus gun bill, which includes constitutional carry, has cleared its
first major hurdle. It is exciting to report that this evening, the
House Judicial IV Committee voted 9 to 6 to move the bill to the next step, and all weakening amendments were defeated. Kudos to the
‘Critical Nine!’


Thanks to Sponsors &
Outspoken Supporters
Many, many thanks to the bill’s
courageous sponsors and other representatives who actively supported this bill. The sponsors are: Rep. Jay Adams, Rep. Beverly Boswell, Rep. Chris Millis, Rep. Larry Pittman, and Rep. Michael Speciale. We can also thank Rep. George Cleveland and Rep. Bert Jones for their outspoken support during
the committee meeting. Well done, all!


A Couple More Hurdles

On Thursday (6/1), the bill will be
shuttled to the Finance Committee. Once it’s through Finance, it’s off
to
the House floor. It’s possible that this important bill could land on
the House floor for a vote as early as Thursday afternoon, so kindly
follow up with the ‘Immediate Action’ below as soon as possible. 


One Republican Plans Unforced
Error

The hurdles mentioned above may be set relatively low, as
long as Republicans live up to their party’s platform, which has a very
strong stance on gun rights, and specifically supports constitutional
carry. Unfortunately, there is one hurdle that may come in the form of
an “unforced error” by one or more Republicans. It sounds
as though, in defiance of Republican and Second Amendment principles, Rep. Sam Watford (Davidson County)
is planning to offer weakening amendments in an attempt to water down this omnibus bill.

Make
no mistake, GRNC will oppose ANY weakening amendments to this gun bill,
whether they come from Rep. Watford, or anyone else. We will
oppose these amendments, insist that other House members vote against
them, and we’ll be keeping tabs on who does what. In fact, we
encourage you to phone Rep. Watford right now, and politely insist that he not propose anything that would weaken the right of the people to
keep and bear arms. His legislative office phone number is 919-715-2526. You can politely remind him of the strong, pro-gun stance
taken in the 2016 Republican Platform.


The Next Step

The victory
in
committee is great news, but we need to keep reminding legislators that
voters are serious about their right to keep and bear arms. Let’s keep
the pressure on, and make sure everyone in Raleigh knows what the people
expect. Below, see how you can easily email House Republicans to do
just
that. Before you know it we’ll have constitutional carry here in North
Carolina!



IMMEDIATE ACTION
REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL NC HOUSE
    REPUBLICANS    :  Use the
    copy/paste email list(s) below, and the copy/paste text under ‘Deliver This Message.’

  • PHONE REP. SAM WATFORD: Politely tell him that gun voters
    are watching and we will not accept weakening amendments to the omnibus
    gun
    bill. Remind him of the very strong, pro-gun stance spelled out in the
    2016 Republican Platform, and ask him to live up to that platform. His
    legislative office number is: 919-715-2526.

CONTACT INFO
NC House Republicans Email *List(s):

Dean.Arp@ncleg.net; John.Bell@ncleg.net; Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net;
John.Blust@ncleg.net;
Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net; John.Bradford@ncleg.net; Bill.Brawley@ncleg.net;
Mark.Brody@ncleg.net; Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net; Justin.Burr@ncleg.net;
Mike.Clampitt@ncleg.net; George.Cleveland@ncleg.net;
Jeff.Collins@ncleg.net; Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net; Kevin.Corbin@ncleg.net;
Ted.Davis@ncleg.net;
Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net; Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net; Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net;
Andy.Dulin@ncleg.net; Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net;
John.Faircloth@ncleg.net;
Carl.Ford@ncleg.net; John.Fraley@ncleg.net;

Holly.Grange@ncleg.net;
Destin.Hall@ncleg.net; Kyle.Hall@ncleg.net; Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net;
Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net; Cody.Henson@ncleg.net; Craig.Horn@ncleg.net;
Julia.Howard@ncleg.net; Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net; Frank.Iler@ncleg.net;
Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net; Bert.Jones@ncleg.net; Brenden.Jones@ncleg.net;
Jonathan.Jordan@ncleg.net; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net;
David.Lewis@ncleg.net;
Chris.Malone@ncleg.net; Susan.Martin@ncleg.net; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net;
Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net; Tim.Moore@ncleg.net;
Gregory.Murphy@ncleg.net;

Larry.Potts@ncleg.net;
Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net; Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net;
David.Rogers@ncleg.net; Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net;
Jason.Saine@ncleg.net; John.Sauls@ncleg.net; Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net;
Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net; Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net;
Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net;
Scott.Stone@ncleg.net; Larry.Strickland@ncleg.net; John.Szoka@ncleg.net;
John.Torbett@ncleg.net; Rena.Turner@ncleg.net; Harry.Warren@ncleg.net;
Sam.Watford@ncleg.net; Donna.White@ncleg.net; Linda.Williams@ncleg.net;
Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.net; Lee.Zachary@ncleg.net

*Spam filters or email program limitations may cause the need to
send more than one email, to cover the entire list of representatives.
If so,
the list above is split into three pieces, for your convenience.

DELIVER THIS
MESSAGE

Suggested Subject:

“Vote ‘YES’ on Omnibus Gun Bill without Weakening”  

Dear Representative:

I understand
that the omnibus gun bill has cleared the House Judicial IV committee
(J4), and
is on its way to the Finance Committee. I also understand the bill
passed though J4 without any weakening amendments. This is fantastic
news! A big
‘thank you’ to the sponsors of this bill and to others who actively
supported it.


I
am writing today
to ask you to vote ‘Yes’ on this bill if you happen to be on the Finance
Committee, to vote ‘Yes’ on this bill on the House
floor, and to vote ‘No’ on any weakening amendments. The right to keep
and bear arms is a fundamental human right, and North Carolinians
are finally making headway in rolling back the oppressive erosion of
this right that has taken place in recent decades. Let’s keep that
freedom
trend going!

On that same note, I would
also remind you that strong support for “constitutional carry” is an
explicit part of the Republican Party’s 2016 platform (see page 12),
just as gun rights in general are. With this fact at the forefront, I
can
see no reason for any Republican to shy away from supporting this
gun-rights legislation. In fact, among other things, pro-Second
Amendment policy is
precisely what voters had in mind when they chose you as their
representative.


For reasons that are quite clear,
voters expect you to support this bill in committee, on the House floor, and without weakening amendments. Please do so.


I’ll be eagerly awaiting more news on this topic from Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,  
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DC Project, Round 2

May 31, 2017 by 1 Comment

I met champion shooter Dianna Muller at the 2016 SHOT Show when she was just getting the DC Project off the ground. The goal was to have 50 women, one from every state, go to Capitol Hill and lobby Congress on issues surrounding the Second Amendment. She partnered with A Girl and A Gun as a way to spread the message.

I don’t remember if they hit the one from every state objective but there were a largish group of women who stormed Washington in support of gun rights. My friend Cheryl Todd of Gun Freedom Radio in Arizona was one of those women. I remember her telling me how some legislators listened and some like Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) lectured them on the evils of guns.

The DC Project is now heading back to Capitol Hill in a few weeks for round two. From their list of delegates, it appears they now have representatives from 41 states. They still need representatives from Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, North and South Dakota, and Vermont. I can see Hawaii, the Dakotas, and Montana but 2A women in Delaware and New England need to step up. If you are a woman who believes in gun rights from one of those states, you need to contact Robyn Sandoval at robyn@agirlandagunclub.org ASAP.

Below is their official release on the event.

Women to Rally in DC in Nonpartisan Support of Gun Ownership


AUSTIN TX — Women from around the country are preparing to travel to the U.S. Capitol as part of the DC Project, a nonpartisan initiative that brings 50 women, one from each state, to Washington, DC, to meet with their legislators about issues addressing the Second Amendment. The women, who will be meeting with Congressional members and staff from June 12-17, 2017, have diverse professional experiences, ethnicity, and political beliefs, but share a common interest centered on the appreciation of America’s gun culture.


The DC Project was started by Dianna Muller to encourage female shooters to meet with legislators in order to give politicians a direct connection to the fastest growing demographic of gun owners. Females provide unique stories and perspectives on the attraction of the 2nd Amendment, including competition shooting sports, commerce, self-defense, hunting, and conservation. “The Second Amendment is part of the United States Constitution and does not belong to one party,” said Muller. “Female gun owners are diverse, and have individualized stories and accounts of why this Amendment is so important to them. These stories need to be shared as they are representative of many within legislators’ constituencies.”


Muller reached out to A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) to assist with the project. With a nationwide network of firearms instructors and female gun owners, AG & AG is a strong voice for the Second Amendment. Robyn Sandoval, Executive Director, is one of the participants meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.


“A Girl & A Gun is honored to be a part of this initiative. As a person who previously was pro-regulation, I now devote my life to empowering women with the safe use and storage of firearms,” said Sandoval. “It is important that our lawmakers learn our stories and have access to our resources for education on gun-related issues.”


The DC Project will host a rally on the West Senate Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, June 16, 2017, at 2PM. Speakers will include Dianna Muller, Nikki Goeser, Robyn Sandoval, Amanda Johnson, Dakota Overland, Holly Sullivan, and other women of the firearms industry as they address the rising demographic of female gun ownership; the value of the 2nd Amendment in today’s society; and the importance of the preservation of America’s gun culture, from conservation and commerce to competitive sports, hunting, and self-defense.


For more information on the DC Project visit: http://dcproject.info

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Happy Memorial Day

May 29, 2017 by 1 Comment

I like the gungrams from my friend Charlie Cook. For today he has something a little different for him.

Memorial Day is to honor the ultimate sacrifice of those who served our nation in the armed services. Traditionally, it is used to honor those who died while serving. That said, I think we need to honor those died at a later date – even a much later date – from wounds and diseases they contracted while serving.

What brings this to mind is that I had a client who died two weeks ago. He had developed heart issues later in life related to his exposure to Agent Orange while serving in South Vietnam. I knew him as a nurse but as a teenager he had been given the choice of juvenile hall or the Army. He used his brother’s birth certificate to join the Army at 16 and ended up in the 1st Air Cav. He came home after serving more or less in one piece. He did leave a finger tip in the Ia Drang Valley but that’s another story. The discipline the Army instilled served him well as he got his act together, went to nursing school, became a registered nurse, and had a long career. However, Agent Orange was lurking in the background and his days in South Vietnam came back to take his life in the end.

It is he who I will be thinking about on this Memorial Day.

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I Forgot My Own Blog-iversary!

May 26, 2017 by 3 Comments

What can I say – I forgot my own blog-iversary. A post by Prof. David Yamane at the Gun Culture 2.0 blog about the 5th anniversary of the starting of his own blog prodded my memory cells. Congratulations to David on this milestone and on his always informative blog.

As to me, I started No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money on May 19th, 2010. This after 4,761 posts, approximately 4.6 million pageviews, and 1,898,996 visitors if StatCounter is correct.

Looking back at those seven tumultuous years, we have seen a lot of changes. Alan Gura won both the McDonald and Ezell cases bringing the Second Amendment as an individual right to the nation and Chicago respectfully. Both Wisconsin and Illinois have passed shall-issue concealed carry. Instead of just Vermont having constitutional carry, there are now a total of 13 states with permitless concealed carry. Gun owners may have been the winning margin for an ostensibly pro-gun President Trump whom no one could have predicted would win the election. We have seen a surge in gun sales which became a tidal wave after the Newtown school shooting. The same goes for suppressor sales even though they require a $200 tax stamp and an interminable wait.

On the downside, we have seen more and more Federal judges parsing the Heller decision to denigrate the Second Amendment as an individual right. The Supreme Court has allowed this to continue as they haven’t taken another Second Amendment case since McDonald. My own 4th Circuit is now battling the 9th Circuit in terms of disrespect for the Second Amendment. Finally, among other things, we are now seeing a well-funded attack by gun prohibitionists on civil rights thanks to Mike Bloomberg.

The only excuse I can give for forgetting my own blog-iversary is that I’ve been busy with work and getting my late mother’s house ready for closing. So far, I’ve forgotten the anniversary of her death nine years ago and that of my dad 36 years ago.

However, I won’t be forgetting the anniversary of my wedding to the Complementary Spouse. My trick and one that I encourage other men to follow is to make it your ATM pin number. It’s a number you need to remember and one that you don’t have on papers in your wallet. It’s a win-win.

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Trotting Out A Dusty Old Canard

May 23, 2017 by 9 Comments

I got an email yesterday from the Brady Campaign. Now that in and of itself is not unusual. They are usually begging for money almost as frequently as Gabby Gifford’s American for Responsible Solutions.

No, what I found intriguing was the depths that these people will sink to in order to push their anti-rights agenda. I shouldn’t be surprised given how in the Paul Helmke era they tried to portray a young James D’Cruz as an unhinged kid who would shoot up a school. That would be the same Mr. D’Cruz who just graduated this month from Harvard Law School.

This time Dan Gross and his advertising minions are now labeling national carry reciprocity as “the Zimmerman Bill”. They say it will give felons, domestic abusers, and fugitives an open license to carry like that “criminal George Zimmerman”. Yes, they actually referred to George as a criminal even though a jury of his peers found him not guilty. This is outright defamation. I have met George, spoken with George, and have seen how his life will never be the same after he defended himself. He is not an evil man. He is merely a guy who was attacked by a wannabe thug with evil intent who had to defend himself.

There is another subtle message that the Brady Campaign is implying by bringing George Zimmerman into the conversation about concealed carry. The message is that concealed carry will allow whites to kill blacks with impunity. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth but then expecting truth from the gun prohibitionists is an exercise in futility.

I have reposted the Brady Campaign’s email below so you see for yourself the depths to which they will go.

It may seem all eyes are on Trump’s Russia drama right now, but the gun industry has stayed laser-focused on profits and pushing the myth that more guns make the country safer.

You and I both know that’s a lie. But their latest attempt to put guns in the hands of every American — no matter how dangerous — is perhaps their most outrageous yet.

Trump and the gun industry have pushed Congress to introduce the Zimmerman Bill — what they call “concealed carry reciprocity.” This dangerous bill would roll back gun safety laws in nearly every state, forcing states with strong state laws to accept anyone with permission or a permit to carry a concealed gun, including criminals like George Zimmerman. This bill would create a system with no standards, no rules and no borders.

If the Zimmerman Bill becomes law, states working hard to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people would be at the mercy of states that do nothing to stop felons, domestic abusers, fugitives and people who are a danger to themselves or others from carrying loaded, hidden guns in public.

This bill already has nearly 200 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. But we can stop it! Sign our petition opposing the Zimmerman Bill today and stand together for a safer country.

Thank you for all you do,

Dan

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Andrew Branca & LOSD Seminar Coming To NC In June

May 19, 2017 by

Attorney Andrew Branca will be bringing his Law of Self Defense Seminars to North Carolina on June 10 and 11. The classes are being sponsored by Grass Roots North Carolina and will be held at the Triangle Shooting Academy in Raleigh.

More info below in the alert from GRNC.

DISCOUNTED FOR YOU:
ANDREW BRANCA’S
‘LAW OF SELF-DEFENSE’ SEMINARS 
You carry a gun so you’re hard to kill. Know the law so you’re hard to convict. . .

Do you know the law of self defense? I mean, REALLY know the law? What good does it do to defend your life if you make some small legal mistake that ends up putting you in prison for the rest of your life?

At the Grass Roots North Carolina Annual Meeting two years ago in Charlotte, Attorney Andrew Branca taught an incredible Law of Self-Defense seminar that focused entirely on North Carolina’s laws. Most of us have taken a Concealed Handgun Permit course, which has 4 hours of legal instruction. But AndrewBranca’s class goes much deeper. 

It’s everything you need to know before you have to use force in self-defense.  Not just the black letter law, but also the judges’ legal decisions and self-defense jury instructions. This class is so detailed that if you’re a lawyer, it counts toward Continuing Legal Education. But don’t think it’s dry and boring like your CHP class was.

Andrew is a fantastic presenter, taking complex legal discussions and turning them into simple concepts and delivering them with his trademark wit.

Enroll Now and Receive a GRNC Discount

Through a special agreement with Andrew, Grass Roots North Carolina can offer you a discount (for a limited time) on these Raleigh Law of Self-Defense seminars.

Before May 28, Use discount code “GRNC” at checkout and receive 10% off one or both of these essential classes. 

But act now, because the classes are filling up quickly, and as of May 28th, the price of the classes goes up. 

The seminars will be held at
Triangle Shooting Academy
in Raleigh, NC
 
Level 1 Seminar
Saturday, June 10th, 2017
9:00 AM 

Level 2 Seminar
(available to those who have taken Level 1, or will take it on June 10)
Sunday, June 11th, 2017
10:00 AM 
Sign up online at: 
And remember to use discount code “GRNC” at checkout to show your support for Grass Roots North Carolina, and also to save 10%. Class is open only to pre-registered students, so sign up right away before the price increase.
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Here, Let Me Rewrite That For You

May 18, 2017 by 2 Comments

Imagine you recently got this email. It came from either the buggy-whip manufacturer’s association or Earth First. Either way, they were anti-automobile because cars don’t fit their agenda. In other words, while they are being chauffeured around in stretch limos, they don’t want the roads crowded with the likes of you.

Here’s the email:

For the first time in a decade, auto sales are down in the United States.

So it’s no wonder deregulating mufflers is at the top of the automobile manufacturers lobby’s agenda. They need to find new ways to make money, regardless of the cost to our communities, and making this policy priority a legislative reality would mean big business for auto manufacturers.

But here’s the dangerous truth: if mufflers were deregulated and sold without any oversight, they could be sold without background checks. And when that happens, they can easily get into the hands of dangerous people. That puts us all at risk, because mufflers make it more difficult for law enforcement to locate speeders, and easier for criminals to quietly escape.

But it appears Congress may move forward on the deregulation of mufflers anyway. But before they do, we have a chance to make our voices heard:

Sign our petition calling on Congress to REJECT any legislation that would deregulate the sale of automobile mufflers.

Automobile mufflers can cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to up to $2,500 for the most expensive muffler sold by Quiet Cars. This is big business.

But the profits to a few manufacturers will never be as important as the safety of our communities across the country. That’s why making your voice heard is so important.

You are probably thinking that mufflers are a good thing and you’d be right. Among other things they reduce noise pollution. You won’t be woken up in the middle of your afternoon nap anymore when an unmuffled car drives by your house.

Of course, the real email from Mark Kelly aka Mr. Gabby Giffords of Americans for Responsible Solutions (sic) is talking about silencers and suppressors for firearms. My rewriting of his email was to show just how ridiculousness of his position. I could go on but I think you get it.

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That Shoulder Thing That Goes Up

May 16, 2017 by 4 Comments

Former Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) was asked many years ago by Tucker Carlson if she could define a barrel shroud which was mentioned in her assault weapons (sic) ban bill. She replied that it was that shoulder thing that goes up. We in the gun culture just shook our collective heads at her ignorance yet realized that even stupid stuff can be enacted into law.

State Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago) who is the Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate introduced an amendment to a bill (SB 556) that was intended to make technical corrections to Illinois criminal laws. Amendment 1 contains, in part, language intended to institute an assault weapons (sic) ban in the state of Illinois. One wonders if Sen. Munoz picked this bill because of its purpose or its number.

(14) Carries or possesses on or about his or her
person, in any vehicle, or concealed on or about his or her
person any semi-automatic assault weapon.
In this paragraph (14), “semi-automatic assault
weapon” means:
(A) any of the firearms or types, replicas, or
duplicates regardless of caliber, known as:
(i) Norinco, Mitchell, and Poly Technologies
Avtomat Kalashnikovs (all models);
(ii) Action Arms Israeli Military Industries
UZI and Galil;
(iii) Beretta AR-70 (SC-70);
(iv) Colt AR-15;
(v) Fabrique Nationale FN/FAL, FN/LAR, and
FNC;
(vi) SWD M-10, M-11, M-11/9, and M-12;
(vii) Steyr AUG;
(viii) INTRATEC TEC-9, TEC-DC9, and TEC-22; or
(ix) any shotgun which contains its ammunition
in a revolving cylinder, such as (but not limited
to) the Street Sweeper and Striker 12;


(B) a semi-automatic rifle or pump action rifle
that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and
has any of the following:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a pistol grip or thumbhole stock;
(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or
partially or completely encircles the barrel, and
that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with
the non-trigger hand without being burned;


(C) a semi-automatic pistol that has an ability to
accept a detachable magazine and has any of the
following:
(i) a folding, telescoping, or thumbhole
stock;
(ii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially
or completely encircles the barrel, and that
permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the
non-trigger hand without being burned; an
ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol
outside of the pistol grip;
(iii) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or
more when the pistol is unloaded; or
(iv) a semi-automatic version of an automatic
firearm;


(D) a semi-automatic rifle or pistol with a fixed
magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10
rounds of ammunition;


(E) a semi-automatic shotgun that has any of the
following:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a pistol grip or thumbhole stock;
(iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5
rounds; or
(iv) an ability to accept a detachable
magazine.


“Semi-automatic assault weapon” does not include:
(A) any firearm that:
(i) is manually prepared by bolt, pump, lever,
or slide action;
(ii) is an unserviceable firearm or has been
made permanently inoperable;
(iii) is an antique firearm; or
(iv) is a rifle with a fixed tubular magazine
located under the barrel that is only capable of
holding rounds of ammunition placed end to end; or
(B) any air rifle as defined in Section 24.8-0.1 of
this Code.

Illinois Carry has issued a call for witness slips to counter this amendment.

Urgent
Call to Action
Witness
Slips Needed
Earlier this evening Amendment 1 to SB556 Criminal Law Tech was scheduled
to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM.
If this bill becomes law, it will arbitrarily define and ban possession of
“assault weapons” throughout the State of Illinois.
Witness Slips Are Needed
Now!
Please take a moment tonight or early tomorrow morning
to show your opposition to this ban on the some of the most commonly owned,
modern firearms.
And, if you haven’t already
filed a witness slip against SB1657 Gun Dealer Licensing, please see
the instructions in our IllinoisCarry Forum Alert.  File
these slips before tomorrow morning as well!
File Witness Slips Now!
To avoid
having to complete each field manually, Log on to
your ILGA Dashboard (or Create a New Account if you have not already done so) then return to
this email and click on the links for each witness slip. If you do not wish
to create an account, simply click on each witness slip link and complete
the required fields manually:
I, IDENTIFICATION: Enter your
personal information. Enter “NA” for the Firm/Business or Agency
and Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization.
II. REPRESENTATION: Enter
“Myself” unless representing an organization.
III. POSITION: Unless
instructed otherwise for a particular bill leave the description field at
its default value “Original Bill”. Indicate your position by
selecting the “Proponent” or “Opponent” radio button.
IV. TESTIMONY: Select the
“Record of Appearance Only” radio button.
If filing manually, complete
the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.
Then click Create Slip.

Oppose
Witness slips can be tracked here.

UPDATE: The Illinois State Rifle Association has also released an alert on this requesting witness slips for both this bill and SB 1657. As I’ve said elsewhere, there is a lot wrong with Illinois politics but I do like the concept of witness slips. A trip to your state capitol during a work week is not doable for most people. Witness slips puts your opposition or approval to a bill in the public record.

From ISRA:

Action Alert – Summary – Two witness slips for Tuesday:

SENATE: File a witness slip now through Tuesday 10:30 am
(May 16) against SB556, as amended with Senate Floor Amendment 1
(SFA1).  The amendment turns this bill into a semi-auto ban, attempting
to ban your favorite rifles and pistols. 

Follow carefully any steps in BOLDFACE as they may differ slightly that you may usually see.

If
you look up this bill on the ILGA website, you have to view the text of
the amendment (links provided below) to see that the bill is being
converted from a shell bill (“makes a technical change…”) into a gun
ban.

HOUSE:  If you have not already done so, file Witness Slips NOW
Through Tuesday 11:00 am (May 16) against SB1657, Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing.

Last month you were also asked to submit a witness slip against this bill,
but that was when the bill was in the Senate.  This is for a HOUSE hearing.
So please submit a slip again, opposing this bill in the next hearing.

Also,
please call your Illinois State Representative and politely remind the
person that answers the phone that you are urging your representative
not to support Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing, SB1657.   
 SB556  Munoz – SFA1 – Semi-auto and magazine ban
This
is a ban of your favorite semi-auto firearms and magazines.  This is
done by amending an empty piece of legislation (“shell” bill) that has
already progressed in the Senate.  If you look up the bill, you have to
read the amendment (SFA1) to see its impact.
The status page of the bill will not show the new intent of the bill.  

Make your voice be heard by submitting
a witness slip against this bill in this committee hearing:

Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing – 10:30 am on May 16, 2017
SB556  SFA1 Munoz – Semi-auto ban

SB1657  Willis – GUN DEALER LICENSING

This
is the Senate version of the legislation that would force your favorite
gun store to close under a mountain of new regulations.  This bill will
affect your ability to buy firearms or ammunition in Illinois.  Never
mind the weight of all the federal regulations that gun dealers and gun
owners must deal with, your retailer and you will have more Illinois
regulations and fees now too. 

 

The bill as amended passed out of the Senate on a 30-21 vote and
is now headed to a committee hearing in the Illinois House of
Representatives. Your continued action is needed against SB1657, make your voice be heard by submitting
a witness slip against this bill in this committee hearing:

House: Judiciary Criminal Committee Hearing – 11:00 am on May 16, 2017 

SB1657  Willis – GUN DEALER LICENSING

How to create your witness slips:

If you have an account already at my.ilga.gov, go there and login now.
If you do not have an account, you are encouraged to do so, to make it easier to fill in witness slips in the future.

 
At this point, logged in or not, you click on this link to create your witness slip against SB556 SFA1:
http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/100498?committeeHearingId=14966&LegislationId=100498

If you are logged in, you get to skip to step III.
I.
IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter “NA” for the
Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially
representing an organization.
 
II. REPRESENTATION: Enter “Myself” unless representing an organization.
 
III. POSITION: 1. Under description, Make sure that SFA1 is selected.  2. Indicate your position by selecting the “Opponent” radio button. 
 
IV. TESTIMONY: Select the “Record of Appearance Only” radio button.
 
If filing without a login, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.
 
Then click “Create Slip.” 

At this point, logged in or not, you click on this link to create your witness slip against

SB1657:

http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/104404?committeeHearingId=14949&LegislationId=104404

If you are logged in, you get to skip to step III.
I.
IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter “NA” for the
Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially
representing an organization.
 
II. REPRESENTATION: Enter “Myself” unless representing an organization.
 
III. POSITION: Indicate your position by selecting the “Opponent” radio button. 
 
IV. TESTIMONY: Select the “Record of Appearance Only” radio button.
 
If filing without a login, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.
 
Then click “Create Slip.”

Afterwards, you can track witness slip activity for these bills/hearings:
SB556   click here 
SB1657 click here


Contact your State Representaive and politely tell him/her that you are a law-abiding gun owner and that you expect them to vote against SB1657 even if it is amended. To
verify who your State Resresentative is, use the lookup apps available
at the Illinois State Board of Elections website. (click here) 
Even if you prefer email, also contact them at their Springfield and
district offices.  Email can be ignored, but phones must be answered. 
Remember, the person who answers the phone is usually a state employee
reporting to the legislator,  and is just doing their job.