This parody of gun-free zones is ostensibly from Fox News. I doubt that but it is still rather funny and points out the fallacy of gun-free zones. To expect criminals who are already breaking the law to obey a gun-free zone sign is ridiculous.
H/T The Dave Kopel Daily
As you can imagine, this has been a very busy week for the Illinois State Rifle Association and Richard Pearson. He has sent out the following week in review which gives more perspective on the bills and the machinations of the gun prohibitionists in the Illinois General Assembly.
January 4, 2013 – The Week in Review The Unabashed Arrogance of the Gun Control MovementAs most of you know, this has been a very tense week for the law-abiding Illinois firearm owner. As most of us were getting ready to ring in the New Year, Senate President John Cullerton and his band of gun controllers were secretly preparing a major offensive against your gun rights. We got wind of the pending attack on your 2nd Amendment rights early in the week and immediately called together our lobbyists and strategic planners to build a defense.
When we finally saw the public release of the Cullerton plan mid-week, we were shocked at what we saw. Based on recent events, we fully expected to see legislative proposals to ban so-called assault weapons, and so-called high-capacity ammunition feeding devices. However, those affronts to your rights paled in comparison with what Cullertons proposal entailed. Here is a sampling of the extremist proposals advanced by Cullertons gun-grab plan:
– The Illinois State Police would be given full control over the design and operation of commercial gun ranges in the state. That control would extend from the design of the bullet backstops to qualifications of range employees and even to the color of the paint on the walls of the mens room. The State Police would determine the hours of operation, what types and calibers of firearms could be discharged at the range, and even a minimum number of square feet. Every range customer would have to undergo a background check and each customers visit would be logged by the range operator. Any Illinois law enforcement agency could conduct unannounced and warrantless inspections and searches of ranges at any time. Those searches and inspections would extend to range customers and their property. That means that the Chicago Police Department would have the authority to raid a range in Peoria and roust the customers of that range. The bottom line is, this range regulation proposal has the sole objective of running commercial shooting ranges out of business. We had never seen anything like this before, but the intent was clear.
– All semi-automatic firearms would be either banned outright, or be so severely taxed and restricted that ownership would be impractical. We expected to see attempts to ban or regulate AR and AK type firearms, but what we saw in Cullertons proposal carried that to an extreme. Cullertons gun ban would extend to all semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. Additionally, many pump action rifles and shotguns would be banned as well. This ban would include such classics as the 1911 and the M1 Garand. Of course, all Glocks, Sig-Sauers, and other popular pistols would be banned as well. Estimates are that about 50% of rifles and 80% of handguns lawfully-owned by Illinois citizens would be subject to ban and confiscation under the Cullerton gun ban.
– A bizarre and convoluted scheme to register all ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than 10 rounds including magazines, stripper clips, drums, etc. Since none of these devices possess serial numbers, owners of these devices would essentially register them under the honor system. Of course, we all know how well criminals stick to the honor system.
The two bills containing these provisions, HB0815 and HB1263, were both assigned to the Senate Public Health Committee for review. This committee is notoriously anti-gun and is stacked 6 to 4 with antigun Democrats under Cullertons thumb. On Wednesday night, the two bills came up for hearing before the Senate Public Health Committee. During debate of these two bills, we heard straight from the horses mouths what the intents and purposes of these bills were. Sitting there listening to the sponsors and their supporters was a very maddening experience.
Committee testimony given by the anti-gunners confirmed that the gun control movement holds firearm owners in deep contempt. During testimony, the gun controllers claimed that the range restriction bill would actually preserve 2nd Amendment rights while providing public safety. The gun controllers acknowledged that most semiautomatic firearms would be banned, but that people who wished to shoot semiautomatics should be reassured because they would be able to go to an approved range and legally rent semiautomatics to shoot. In other words, you should not be upset about surrendering your $5,000 target rifle because you can still go down to an approved range and get a junker out of the rental case to plink with. This was one of the most condescending lines of testimony I have ever heard levied against the right to keep and bear arms and the anti-gunners uttered it with completely straight faces. The gun controllers really need to keep in mind that the 2nd Amendment says “keep and bear arms, not “rent arms.
Of course, nowhere in any of the testimony given by the bills supporters was there any mention of how these restrictions and bans would affect criminals. In fact, the bill proponents became extremely defensive when pro-gun witnesses mentioned anything about violent gun-toting criminals. It was clear that the proponents focus was solely on lawfully held firearms. In not so many words, the supporters of these bills claimed that they were good first steps to achieving a civil society. In the twisted world-view of the anti-gunners, law-abiding citizens are standing in the way of a civil society, not criminals.
As most of you may know, the two bills passed out of the Public Health Committee by 6-4 and 6-3 votes. The next step would be a vote on the floor. Late Thursday, the newspapers were reporting that the sponsors are delaying a vote on the bills because they do not have enough support for passage. Please, dont be fooled by such claims. These bills are alive and well and can be called up for a vote at any time.
In writing this note, I thought Id give you a taste of what the ISRA lobbyists experience every day in Springfield. We could not continue to do what we do without knowing that you, the law-abiding citizen, has our back. Your support is crucial to our success we do all we do for you. So, with that in mind, there are a few things Id like you to do:
1. Remember that these anti-gun bills are eligible for a full vote of the Senate at any time up through next Wednesday. Do not be lulled to sleep by media claims that the bills are dead.
2. Keep an eye on your email for any alerts the ISRA issues regarding these bills or any other anti-gun activity.
3. Please consider giving the ISRA a generous monetary donation so we may continue the fight for your rights.
Thanks for your time,
Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director
Illinois State Rifle Association
While there were no bills – only resolutions – filed in the US Senate yesterday, House members seem to have been very active filing bills dealing with firearms. By my count, there were eight anti-gun bills and one pro-gun bill filed in the House of Representatives yesterday. None of the bills listed below have the text of legislation available so we’ll have to wait a few days to see the details of just how they plan to screw gun owners.
I have listed the bills below in order of their introduction along with their sponsor and the bills working title. I have put the one pro-gun bill in bold print.
HR 21 – James Moran (D-VA)
To provide for greater safety in the use of firearms.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 34 – Bobby Rush (D-IL)
To provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for
purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those
firearms, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 65 – Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
To prevent children’s access to firearms.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 93 – David Cicilline (D-RI)
To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to restrict the
ability of a person whose Federal license to import, manufacture, or
deal in firearms has been revoked, whose application to renew such a
license has been denied, or who has received a license revocation or
renewal denial notice, to transfer business inventory firearms, and for
other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 117 – Rush Holt (D-NJ)
To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 133 – Thomas Massie (R-KY)
To repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 and amendments to that Act.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 137 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
To ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a
firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check
system and require a background check for every firearm sale.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 138 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Co-sponsored by Diana DeGette (D-CO)
To prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 141 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
To require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions occurring at gun shows.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
While all bills are important and could be enacted, the likelihood is that most of these bills will never get a hearing and will have no further action. HR 138 sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is the major bill of this bunch and the one that may get some attention. Fortunately, the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has said he doesn’t favor any new gun control laws including magazine restrictions.
As more bills and more information becomes available, it will be posted.
UPDATE: Two more to add to the list – one good and one bad. Thanks to pointers to these bills from the comments.
HR 35 – Steve Stockman (R-TX)
Co-sponsored by Paul Broun (R-GA)
To restore safety to America’s schools.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
As noted in the comments below, this bill would repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act.
HR 142 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
To require face to face purchases of ammunition, to require licensing of
ammunition dealers, and to require reporting regarding bulk purchases
of ammunition.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
It is too soon to let our guard down in Illinois over the range, AWB, and magazine ban bills. While newspaper reports yesterday indicated that the gun prohibitionists were falling short and had given up their efforts, it isn’t over yet as the lame duck session hasn’t ended.
The Illinois State Rifle Association issued this warning on their Facebook page:
Note to all members and supporters. The bills
put forward in the IL Senate are NOT dead. They are still alive until
the new legislature is sworn in on Wednesday… they could vote as they
clean out their desks.
Keep the calls and emails coming. They are having an effect and will be the difference between your guns being banned or not.
Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers has this warning along with some comments from Illinois legislators:
NYET!! NINE!!! NADA!!! NOPE!!!These bills are NOT dead. They are just being held off so the Chicago-crats can try and strong arm enough votes before next Wednesday. Got that? NEXT Wednesday is when the bills are dead, not before.
KEEP making those calls and informing fellow gun owners. They WILL attempt to bring them up again as soon as they think they can get them through, the same way they play the midnight sessions game to get their annual pay raises.
Those of you living in Illinois need to keep up the pressure on your state representatives and senators. Be polite but call them every day. Don’t let them think you’ve let your guard down.
UPDATE: While all the action so far has been in the Illinois State Senate, Todd Vandermyde let me know this morning that his sources in the State House tell him that Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be pushing similar bans in the House. The House reconvenes for its lame duck session at 5pm on Sunday.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) will be introducing a bill today that will mandate reduced-capacity magazines and will ban sale and transfer of standard-capacity magazines. Checking the Library of Congress service Thomas, no bills are listed as having been introduced but I think there is probably some lag in the system.
This move by McCarthy and DeGette was fully expected. Sebastian feels that the magazine ban will be harder to fight than any AWB due to many on the center-right who feel it is reasonable. He makes a number of good points especially that the criminal class will have no trouble in obtaining magazines.
Massad Ayoob discusses why good people need standard capacity magazines in his blog in Backwoods Home Magazine. He concludes:
The reasoning is strikingly clear. The cops are the experts on the current criminal trends. If they have determined that a “high capacity” semiautomatic pistol and a .223 semiautomatic rifle with 30-round magazines are the best firearms for them to use to protect people like me and my family, they are obviously the best things for us to use to protect ourselves and our families .
McCarthy’s release on the bill:
WASHINGTON, DC (Jan. 3, 2013) — Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY4) and Diana DeGette (D-CO1) are reintroducing legislation today to ban the high-capacity ammunition magazines that have enabled high numbers of casualties in almost every recent mass shooting in American history.
“These assault magazines help put the ‘mass’ in ‘mass shooting’ and anything we can do to stop their proliferation will save lives in America,” Rep. McCarthy said. “These devices are used to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time possible and we owe it to innocent Americans everywhere to keep them out of the hands of dangerous people. We don’t even allow hunters to use them – something’s deeply wrong if we’re protecting game more than we’re protecting innocent human beings.”
“Since I came to Congress, I have been working to protect our children and our families from senseless gun violence,” Rep. DeGette said. “Recent tragedies have only heightened the need, and that is why Rep. McCarthy and I are reintroducing our bill to ban high-capacity assault magazines. While there is no single answer to stopping these massacres, this bill is a step that will go a long way toward making our country safe.”The High Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, as the bill is formally known, bans the sale or transfer of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Such a standard was federal law between 1994 and 2004, when the assault weapons ban was in effect, and it is state law in many parts of the United States. Magazines are available today in capacities of up to 100 and even more. Law enforcement officials and analysts have cited the direct role that magazine capacity plays in ensuring the high numbers of casualties in mass shootings. Often, as in the cases of Tucson, Arizona and the Long Island Railroad, the carnage ends when the shooters run out of bullets and stop to reload, at which point they are stopped by bystanders.
Unfortunately, the devices are still easily available to the public and have been used in every mass shooting in recent history, such as: Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut; a shopping mall in Oregon; a temple in Wisconsin; a movie theater in Colorado; a Congressional event in Arizona; at schools like Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University; at a law office in California; and on a commuter rail car in New York. They were even acquired from the United States by mail order and used in the Norway shooting of 2011, where 69 people were shot to death.
In many cases, mass shooters intending to act don’t have access to a black market, but acquire whatever they can easily and legally, making a ban on high-capacity magazines a major obstacle for future mass murderers to carry out their plans.
The legislation had 138 House co-sponsors in the 112th Congress, under the number H.R. 308. One hundred and eleven House members signed on after its introduction after the shooting in Tucson, Arizona; two more signed on after the shooting in Aurora, Colorado; then 25 more signed on after last month’s shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Rep. McCarthy, a lifelong nurse, strode into a life of activism to reduce gun violence after her husband was murdered and son critically wounded in the 1993 mass shooting on the Long Island Railroad in New York. Her activism led her to Washington first to lobby members of Congress as an advocate for victims, and then as a member herself after running against her own congressman who voted against the assault weapons ban.
Rep. DeGette has been an outspoken supporter of measures to reduce gun violence and played a critical role in rounding up support for new cosponsors for the ban on high-capacity magazines after the most recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Her district includes Columbine High School and is adjacent to that which includes Aurora, Colorado. She is now, with Rep. McCarthy, the original co-sponsor of the legislation, which will receive a bill number shortly.
The bill to ban high-capacity magazines was carried in the Senate in the 112th Congress by Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey. Sen. Lautenberg has helped lead the fight for safer gun policy for much of his decades-long career, writing the law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence offenders and co-sponsoring the original Brady Law to establish background checks for handgun purchases, among other efforts.
Grant Cunningham, revolversmith, trainer, and blogger, had an excellent post yesterday on writing to those in Congress. As he notes with regard to Feinstein’s anticipated assault weapons (sic) ban, “If we, the shooting community, don’t act immediately her little scheme might just work.”
This is one fight that we can’t leave to the NRA, GOA, NSSF, or SAF. They do work but can only do so much. We have to get in there and do some heavy lifting.
Grant lists a series of things he’s learned about communicating with Congress. Many of them aren’t new but do bear repeating. I’m just going to list the high points and urge you to read his full blog post.
I’m starting to collect letters that we can use as a basis for writing both state and national representatives. I will be posting the better ones for you to use and would urge you to modify them to suit you. There is no need for you or me to reinvent the wheel. We are all in this together and need to work smarter, not harder.
If you have a good letter, send to me by e-mail at jpr9954 AT gmail DOT com.
I had a thought provoking comment left the other day by a John Ryan that bears repeating. It was in regard to an infographic I had posted by the American Preppers Network that discussed “high capacity” magazines.
We have to be better at getting the right terms out there. Especially getting them to the talking heads on our side ( they are making lots of mistakes). Otherwise hyperbole wins the day. “Standard capacity” is the winning term. They are proposing “reduced capacity”. “Reduced capacity magazines” diminish a persons ability to defend themselves. 10 is a random # made up out of thin air.
If we meet them on the terms they set, talking about “ high caps don’t save that much time” we lose because nobody ( other that shooters) wants to follow that. We, as proponents for the preservation of the 2nd, have to make sure our arguments are not just convincing to us, but to lay people as well.
“Standard capacity” is what a pistol was designed for. It’s what a rifle was designed for. Artificially limiting that capacity harms a persons right to self defense as codified in Heller. Spread this rationale around.
The Browning Hi-Power was one of the first pistols to use a double-stack
magazine. The magazine size was 13 rounds. That was the size of
magazine that the pistol was designed to use. Likewise, the ubiquitous
Glock 17 was designed to use a magazine containing 17 rounds. Hence, I
presume the name.
I think Mr. Ryan is absolutely correct. We have to take charge of the discussion and to do that we need to be more precise in our language. We cannot let the media or the gun prohibitionists continue to dominate the discussion with the emotionally laden term of “high capacity”. There are good, solid reasons one needs standard capacity magazines in the non-military, non-law enforcement world and we should be making them daily.
The gun prohibitionists in the Illinois Senate are using existing House Bill 815 and House Bill 1263 as their vehicle to license shooting ranges, ban so-called assault weapons, ban new standard capacity magazines, and require registration and fees for grandfathered magazines. Both bills are the subject of hearings currently on-going by the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee.
HB 815 originally dealt with updating a nuclear safety law while HB 1263 deals with sexual offenders.
HB 815 has two amendments. The first, Senate Floor Amendment No. 001 deals with licensing shooting ranges and “large capacity ammunition feeding devices.” It was introduced by Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Chicago). The text of the amendment can be found here.
The second amendment to HB 815, Senate Floor Amendment No. 002, requires the registration of grandfathered magazines with the Illinois State Police and the payment of a $5 per magazine fee. It was also introduced by Sen. Dan Kotowski. The full text of this amendment can be found here.
HB 1263 has two amendments and both were submitted by Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago). Senate Floor Amendment No. 005 contains another range licensing bill and, more importantly, the assault weapons (sic) ban. .50 BMG firearms are also banned. The text of this amendment can be found here.
The second amendment to HB 1263, Senate Floor Amendment No. 006, deals with the existing so-called assault weapons. It requires their registration and the payment of a $10 fee per rifle to the Illinois State Police. .50 firearms will require a $15 per firearm fee along with their registration. The text of this amendment can be found here.
UPDATE: The Senate Public Health Committee who’s chair and vice-chair just so happen to be Chicago Democrats have reported two of the amendments out of committee with a “do adopt” recommendation. They are Senate Floor Amendment No. 001 to HB 815 and Senate Floor Amendment No. 005 to HB 1263.
ISRA issued an alert on the bills this evening.
A pair of nightmare bills is on the move at this moment in the Illinois Senate
These two bills would:
1. Run all gun ranges out of business by imposing heavy fees, imposing special staffing requirements, warrantless searches of ranges and customers, unlimited unannounced inspections.
2. Ban all semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns as well as pump action shotguns.
Here are direct links to the two bills:
and
EITHER OF THESE TWO BILLS WOULD END YOUR GUN RIGHTS ENTIRELY
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PROTECT YOUR GUN RIGHTS.
1. Follow the instructions below and contact your Illinois State Senator. Politely tell your senator that you are a law-abiding gun owner and you want them to vote AGAINST HB815 and HB1263. CALL NOW!
2. Pass this information on to your gun owning friends and family, tell them to call as well.
3. Post this alert to all Internet blogs and bulletin boards to which you belong.
The worst of the two bills, HB815 is being sponsored and pushed by anti-gun Senator Dan Kotowski. Go to his link: http://www.ilga.gov/senate/senator.asp?GA=97&MemberID=1724 Call him at the numbers listed and tell him that you do not appreciate him trying to shut down gun ranges and taking your guns away from you. He needs to hear from you!
UPDATE II: The Illinois State Rifle Association just sent out more information about the votes on the two bills in the Public Health Committee.
SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES BILLS TO RUN RANGES OUT OF BUSINESS AND BAN 80% OF YOUR GUNS
MESSAGE FROM COMMITTEE DEMOCRATS: Eliminating law-abiding gun owners is a good first step towards a civil society.
Votes on HB815 and HB1263 were split along party lines in the Senate Public Health Committee Wednesday night with the committee Democrats voting 6-4 and 6-3 to send the bills to the full senate. If these two bills become law, they will resulting most, if not all ranges in the state going out of business as well as the banning of ALL semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns as well as banning all pump shotguns and rifles.
In comments made during testimony, committee Democrats stated plainly that HB815 and HB1263 were first steps and that these bills have as their objective the creation of a more civil society. In other words, elimination of lawful gun owners is a required first step for creating a more civil society. Of course, there was no mention of the impact of eliminating criminals.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO ON THURSDAY:
1. Call Senator Dave Syverson at (217) 782-5413 and tell him THANK YOU for supporting lawful gun owners by voting NO on HB815 and HB1263.
2. Call Senator Shane Cultra at (217) 782-6597 and tell him THANK YOU for supporting lawful gun owners by voting NO on HB815 and HB1263.
3. Call Senator Christine Johnson at (217) 782-1977 and tell her THANK YOU for supporting lawful gun owners by voting NO on HB815 and HB1263.
4. Call Senator Carole Pankau at (217) 782-9463 and tell her THANK YOU for supporting lawful gun owners by voting NO on HB815 and HB1263.
It is very important that you praise these Senators for their support.
The ringleader of the effort to shut down shooting ranges and take your guns away from you is Senator Dan Kotowski. You may wish to call him at (217) 782-3875 and politely explain to him that, as a law-abiding gun owner, you do not appreciate being treated like a criminal and that you oppose any efforts to regulate shooting ranges, ban semiautomatic firearms, or ban standard capacity magazines.
While these are the gross numbers and not the NSSF-adjusted NICS check numbers, the FBI reported today that it processed 2.78 million NICS checks during the month of December. According to the story in Reuters, this represents a 39% increase over the month of November which had been the previous all time high.
These NICS check numbers are also up 49% over last December.
Consumer demand for guns appears to have accounted for the uptick in activity. There were no changes in FBI background check procedures that would have affected the December numbers, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said.
December is typically the busiest month of the year for checks, however, due in part to Christmas gift sales.
The figures do not represent the number of firearms sold, a statistic the government does not track. They also do not reflect activity between private parties, such as family members or collectors, because federal law requires background checks only for sales from commercial vendors with a federal license.
Someone who passes a background check is eligible to buy multiple firearms.
FBI checks for all of 2012 totaled 19.6 million, an annual record and an increase of 19 percent over 2011.
I don’t think this will come as a surprise to anyone who
has been to a gun shop, big box store, or any other place that sells
firearms in the past two to three weeks. I know my visits to two local
WalMart stores in western North Carolina showed them to be cleaned out
of virtually everything except 2-3 rimfire rifles and a couple of
shotguns. Rifle ammo was non-existent except in .30-30 or esoteric
calibers like .300 Winchester Short Magnum while the only pistol ammo
was in .380 ACP, .38 Special, and .44 Magnum. At least the run on .380
ACP of a few years ago is over.
Reuters attributes much of the increase to the Newtown tragedy and the resultant call by the gun prohibitionists for gun bans and magazine bans. I’m sure this is at least partially correct. I’d like to see – and I don’t know if it is available – a day by day record of NICS checks for the month of December. That would empirically confirm what we think is happening.
Once NSSF releases their numbers, I’ll be posting them as well.
You have to wonder just how committed to democracy and representative government are those politicians who would push for gun bans. I think most people would understand that in the state of Illinois unfortunately power politics trumps democracy and representative government. So it is with the latest moves in Illinois to introduce an assault weapons (sic) ban.
The ISRA has learned from a credible source that Illinois Senate President John Cullerton will introduce a so called assault weapons ban on Wednesday when the legislature returns for its lame duck session. Cullerton hopes to ramrod the bill through and get it to Governor Quinn for signature by Friday. If he is successful at doing so, nearly every gun you currently own will be banned and will be subject to confiscation by the Illinois State Police.Based on what we know about Cullertons bill, firearms that would be banned include all semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Pump action shotguns would be banned as well. This would be a very comprehensive ban that would include not only so-called assault weapons but also such classics as M1 Garands and 1911-based pistols. There would be no exemptions and no grandfathering. You would have a very short window to turn in your guns to the State Police to avoid prosecution.
ISRA is asking that people in Illinois call your State Senator on Wednesday and politely tell him or her that you are a law abiding firearm owner and that you strongly oppose Cullerton’s gun ban.
URGENT: Illinois Anti-Gun Legislators That YOU Voted Out of Office to Use Their Last Remaining Days in Legislature Exploiting Lame Duck Session and Holiday Break To Impose a Draconian Gun BanThe NRA-ILA has just learned that anti-gun legislators backed by Governor Quinn are deceptively trying to sneak through a new draconian gun ban as early as Wednesday while the legislature convenes for the Lame Duck Session from January 2 to 9. You voted many of these anti-gun legislators out of office, and now, in their last days as law makers, they want to quietly trample on the rights of all law-abiding gun owners in Illinois. It is imperative that you contact your state legislators
IMMEDIATELY and continue to do so over the next few days. The Lame Duck Session will end on January 9, so this bill will be moving at lightning speed through both the House and Senate, with very little time to spare. Your phone call or email will play an important role in halting this assault on your Second Amendment rights.
The NRA-ILA will continue to send updates on this matter as details become available to us. However, it is of the utmost importance that you act NOW to stop this gun ban and registration scheme. Call and email IMMEDIATELY and let your voice be heard on this matter.
To reach the main line for the Illinois General Assembly, please call 217.782.2000.
Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.
Kurt Hofmann has more on this move in his column in the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner. Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers blog has more as well as a suggestion to leave (polite) messages on the Illinois Senate Democratic Causus’ Facebook page. You can reach that here.
UPDATE: Sebastian reports that the attack on gun rights in the state of Illinois is far broader than previously thought. In addition to an AWB, there will be restrictions on ranges, magazines, a lost or stolen requirement, etc. Go to his post here and read the whole thing. If you are a resident of Illinois, get to work. If you have family or friends in Illinois, let them know so they can get to get work calling their state representatives.
If you own a semi-automatic firearm or detachable magazine, they may be banned and you could become a felon unless you act NOW
As the Illinois Senate convenes this afternoon for its Lame Duck session, anti-gun legislators led by Senate President John Cullerton and backed by Governor Patrick Quinn (D) are deceptively trying to sneak through a sweeping draconian gun and magazine ban in Springfield. In their last days as lawmakers (some were defeated for reelection and others retiring), these legislators are attempting to quietly trample on the rights of all law-abiding gun owners in Illinois. The many restrictions contained in this legislation are subject to changes, however, this latest attack on your Second Amendment rights as currently drafted would turn law-abiding owners into felons for possession of nearly all common semi-automatic firearms or detachable magazines. Not only would such a ban include classic firearms like the 1911 and common handguns like Glocks, this ban would also outlaw common hunting guns like the Ruger 10/22 and Remington 740 series.
It is imperative that you contact your state Senator IMMEDIATELY to express your opposition and continue to do so every day this week. The Lame Duck session starts today and ends on January 9, so this legislation will be moving at lightning speed in both the Senate and House, with very little time to spare. At this time, it is rumored that both the semi-auto and magazine ban bills will be sent to the Executive Committee this afternoon. Please contact those members (listed below) as well as your state Senator. Your telephone calls will determine the outcome of this assault on your Second Amendment rights.
Anti-gun politicians are attempting to sacrifice your constitutional rights as a scapegoat for the criminal acts of lunatics and violence in Chicago by gangs and drug dealers. Don’t let them succeed in banning your firearms or magazines as an excuse for stopping criminals from misusing them. Criminals — by definition — violate laws, especially gun control laws, including often: murder, rape, robbery, drug-dealing, gang violence, firearm theft, carrying concealed firearms without a license/permit, federal gun-free school zones. They do not obey gun bans, register their firearms, or get subjected to any gun control schemes (like the lone state ban on carrying concealed firearms for self-defense) that only affect and penalize law-abiding citizens like you.
The NRA-ILA will continue to send legislative updates as details become available. However, it is of the utmost importance that you act NOW to stop this gun and magazine ban. Call your state Senator and members of the Executive Committee IMMEDIATELY and express your opposition to banning firearms or magazines.
To reach the main line for the Illinois General Assembly, please call 217-782-2000.
Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.
Senate Executive Committee:
Senator Don Harmon, Chairman, (D-39)
(217) 782-8176
Senator Ira Silverstein, Vice Chairman, (D-8)
(217) 782-5500
Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr., (D-57)
(217) 782 5399
Senator Maggie Crotty, (D-19)
(217) 782-9595
Senator John J. Cullerton, Senate President (D-6)
(217) 782-2728
Senator Kimberly A. Lightford, (D-4)
(217) 782-8505
Senator Antonio Munoz, (D-1)
(217) 782-9415
Senator Jeffrey M. Schoenberg, (D-9)
(217) 782-2119
Senator Donne E. Trotter (D-17)
(217) 782-3201
Senator Dale A. Righter, Minority Spokesperson, (R-55)
(217) 782-6674
Senator William E. Brady, (R-44)
(217) 782-6216
Senator John O. Jones, (R-54)
(217) 782-0471
Senator David S. Luechtefeld, (R-58)
(217) 782-8137
Senator Matt Murphy, (R-27)
(217) 782-4471
Senator Christine Radogno, (R-41)
(217) 782-9407
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