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For Those In Northern Illinois

March 9, 2013 by

The Illinois State Rifle Association put out an alert this morning about a county board meeting in Joliet that will vote on a concealed carry resolution. They are asking people to attend and make their views known.


URGENT ALERT – YOUR ACTION REQUIRED:
WILL COUNTY BOARD TO VOTE ON CONCEALED CARRY RESOLUTION

PLEASE BE THERE TO SUPPORT THIS IMPORTANT RESOLUTION

WHEN: Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 8:30 AM (please plan to be there by 8:00)
WHERE: Will County Office Building, County Board Room, 302 North Chicago Street, Joliet

Please pass this Alert along to your friends and relatives.

Please post this Alert to any and all Internet Blogs or Bulletin Boards to which you may belong.

You do not have to live in Will County to attend!

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ISRA Alert On Madigan’s CCW Bill

February 23, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Illinois State Rifle Association has sent out an alert warning about the plans of House Speaker Michael Madigan concerning concealed carry. It appears that he will try to force through his own CCW bill that will be the nation’s most restrictive carry law this coming week.

From ISRA:


Mike Madigan is ticked off…

Why is Mike Madigan so ticked off? Quite simply, he’s ticked off because the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has told him plainly that the legislature must bow to constitutional authority – not to the whims of Mike Madigan. And we all know what a control freak Mike Madigan is.

No, Mike Madigan is no longer in control of the concealed carry debate. The courts have said once and for all that Illinois will join 49 other states in allowing citizens to carry defensive firearms.

The court has really ticked Madigan off…

Mike Madigan is so ticked off that he plans to introduce his own version of a concealed carry bill early next week. Of course, under Madigan’s carry bill, the only people who would be allowed to carry would be… um… nobody.

Although the details of Madigan’s concealed carry bill (HB1155) have not yet been released, those close to Madigan are saying that it will be the most restrictive concealed carry bill in the nation.

One insider termed Madigan’s proposal, “…the closest thing to no-carry at all.”

WHAT YOU MUST DO TO STOP MADIGAN’S INSULTING BILL

1. Beginning first thing Monday morning, call your state representative and politely tell them that you are a law-abiding firearm owner and that you oppose Madigan’s insulting HB1155 and that you would like them to vote against the bill.

2. Pass this alert on to all your friends and family members and ask them to call their state representatives as well.

3. Please post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.

If you do not know who your state representative is, please click the link below and you will be able to identify your representative and get their Springfield phone number.

The Illinois State Board of Elections has a new interactive search page here:
www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

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Interesting Report On Concealed Carry Hearings

February 23, 2013 by

Chicago’s ABC 7 had a report on the legislative hearings about concealed carry in Illinois in the wake of the 7th Circuit’s denial of an en banc hearing for Moore/Shepard v Madigan. You just have to shake your head in dismay about the hysteria and ignorance spouted by officials from the Chicago Transit Authority and from the gun control lobby. Fortunately, this was offset by Dr. Paula Bradich and Todd Vandermyde.

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Shall Issue Concealed Carry Bill Introduced In Illinois

January 30, 2013 by 18 Comments

Illinois State Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) introduced HB997 – the Family and Personal Protection Act – yesterday. This bill would, if passed, would bring shall-issue concealed carry to Illinois.

From the bill’s synopsis:

Creates the Family and Personal Protection Act.
Provides that the Department of State Police shall issue a license to a
person to: (1) carry a loaded or unloaded handgun on or about his or her
person, concealed or otherwise; (2) keep or carry a loaded or unloaded
handgun on or about his or her person when in a vehicle; and (3) keep a
loaded or unloaded handgun openly or concealed in a vehicle. Prohibits
the carrying of the handgun in certain locations. Provides that the
license shall be issued by the Department of State Police within 30 days
of receipt of a completed application and shall be valid throughout the
State for a period of 5 years from the date of issuance. Provides for
renewal of licenses. Establishes qualifications for licensees, certified
firearms instructors, and instructor trainers. Provides for home rule
preemption. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable.
Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Prohibits from inspection and
copying information about applications for licenses to carry a handgun
and about license holders contained in the database created by the
Family and Personal Protection Act, except as authorized by that Act.
Amends the State Finance Act and the Criminal Code of 2012 to make
conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Having read the bill in its entirety, let me highlight key components of the bill.

First and foremost, this bill provides for Shall-Issue concealed carry permits. The permit would allowed a permit holder to (a) carry a firearm, loaded or unloaded, “concealed or otherwise”, on his or her person; (b) on his or her person in a motor vehicle; or (c) in a vehicle either openly or concealed while not on the person. Concealed is defined by the law to mean “completely or mostly concealed”. This should take care of the issue of incidental exposure or printing. Moreover, as I read “concealed or otherwise”, I think a strong argument could be made that this would make open carry permissible with a CCW.

The Illinois State Police will be in charge of issuing the permit. The fee is $25 to apply with a 30-day turnaround time. As I noted above, the permit is shall-issue. However, a sheriff or municipal chief law enforcement officer can object in writing to the issuance of a permit to an individual especially if they feel the person would be a danger to him or herself or others. The burden of proof is upon the state to prove this and the applicant has a right to know. Applicants consent to a complete background check including psych records and juvenile court records. Applicants “may” be requested to provide fingerprints with the cost to the applicant of no more than $15.

Illinois residents with a current out-of-state carry permit would be allowed to carry concealed for up to 180 days after enactment. After that, they would be required to have an Illinois CCW.

Section 25 of the bill sets the qualifications:

  • Age 21 or more
  • Valid FOID card if a resident
  • Not prohibited by either state or Federal law from possessing a firearm
  • Not under pending arrest warrant that would be a disqualifying offense
  • Not a chronic abuser of alcohol in prior 3 years as evidence by either (a) residential or court-ordered detox or treatment for alcohol abuse or (b) 2 or more DUIs.
  • Has completed approved training and education component

The state – and only the state – will keep a database of all permit holders. No local law enforcement agency or local government may keep their own database. Violations of this incur a $5,000 per record punitive fine. The state database would be available to all law enforcement agencies but individual records would not be subject to freedom of information requests. The only public data provided from this database would be statistics showing permits by county, age, gender, or race.

Permit renewals would cost $25 and require a shooting requalification. This could be satisfied by either shooting in a competition such as IDPA or USPSA within six months of renewal or by showing evidence of a range exercise with a certified instructor.

The bill does provide for non-resident permits and waives the FOID card requirement. It would require a notarized statement from the home state that the person is eligible under state and Federal law to possess a firearm. More importantly, the bill provides for reciprocity with other states that recognize the Illinois permit and that have substantially similar requirements to that of Illinois.

The bill does have a substantial list of restricted areas which would apply to where a permit holder could carry concealed. There are exceptions in some of these areas if consent is given or if the holder is a judge or a State’s Attorney.

  • Any building under control of the Illinois General Assembly including district offices. Members could carry concealed in their district offices.
  • Courthouses
  • Meeting places of local governments
  • Bars but not restaurants that merely serve alcohol
  • Airport secure areas
  • Area prohibited by Federal law
  • K-12 schools without consent
  • Child care facilities without consent
  • Casino
  • Gated areas of amusement parks
  • Stadiums and other sports venues
  • Colleges and universities without consent
  • Public libraries without consent
  • Police stations and sheriff’s offices without consent
  • Prisons, jails, and other correctional facilities

Businesses would be allowed to post against concealed carry and the bill does specify the posting requirements. Local governments and school boards may prohibit by a majority vote concealed carry in any building controlled by them. However, they cannot prohibit carry in public housing, rest stops, public right of ways, or parking facilities. State buildings under the control of the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, or Treasures would be allowed to be posted against concealed carry.

Permit holders would be required to disclose if carrying as soon as possible if stopped by law enforcement officers. The bill prohibits carrying under the influence which is defined as 0.08 blood alcohol or higher.

The training requirements can be fulfilled by passing the NRA Basic Pistol course, the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course, the NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home course, or another 4 hour course approved by the State Police. In addition, there is a live fire component that also must be passed. A person must fire at least 30 rounds with a 70% hit score of a B-21 silhouette or similar. Of these 30 rounds, the bill specifies 20 rounds at 7 yards and 10 rounds at 15 yards. The fees for training are allowed to be set by the instructor. Instructors can be anyone who is an NRA certified instructor, a retired law enforcement officer who has passed the qualifications to carry, an active or retired military member with a combat MOS, or a person certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training State Board.

Finally, and second only in importance to the bill mandating Shall-Issue carry permits, the bill contains a very strong state preemption clause. It prohibits any home rule unit from regulating the possession, carrying, or transportion of firearms. The only exception is that local governments can post buildings owned by them against carry. In addition, no home rule unit can regulate the number of handguns owned or require the registration possessed by a person under the act. Violation of Section 95 brings a $10,000 per day per individual affected punitive fine.

This is a very strong shall-issue law with reasonable costs and reasonable training requirements. The prohibited areas are similar to many other shall-issue states. The preemption clause is a critical component of this bill as it prevents the City of Chicago from setting their own draconian regulations. You can expect that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago legislators under his sway will fight this part of the bill tooth and nail. In conclusion, I think Rep. Brandon Phelps – a Democrat, mind you – should be congratulated for drafting and introducing a good bill. For the sake of the people of the State of Illinois, I hope it passes.

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ISRA: It’s Just A Lull

January 7, 2013 by

The Illinois State Rifle Association sent out an alert last night regarding the State House version of the “Cullerton Gun Grab Bill”. They noted this appears to be the end of gun control moves for this session of the Illinois General Assembly. And before, you think you can relax a little they go on to note the session ends on Wednesday when the new session begins.

Read the alert below. If you can spare ISRA a few bucks, send some their way. Just like me you may not live in Illinois but you need to realize that they are, in military terms, that forward detachment ahead of our lines. Keeping more gun control out of Illinois or California or New York or Massachusetts where they have the most sympathetic legislators means we have a better chance of keeping it out of the rest of the states.


ILLINOIS HOUSE ADJOURNS WITH NO MOVEMENT ON GUN BILLS – BUT DO NOT BE MISLED.

As reported earlier, the House version of the Cullerton Gun Grab Bill was supposed to be debated before the House Judiciary Committee I at 2:00 PM today. The Chairman of the committee convened the committee, announced that there would be no gun bills debated for the rest of the session, then adjourned..

From all appearances, this was the end of the push for gun control in the legislature this session. But, don’t be confused – the session ends Wednesday. There is nothing saying that the legislature couldn’t call the bills anyway. So, be on guard and watch for alerts from the ISRA..

Also, be advised that the newly elected legislature, the 98th General Assembly, gets gaveled into action on Wednesday as well. With several pro-gun stalwarts leaving the legislature, and several brand new gun grabbers to contend with, the next session of the General Assembly promises to be turbulent times for law-abiding gun owners. We will update you as issues arise..

In short, the entire ISRA lobbying staff would like to say “THANKS” to all those gun owners who stood up this week and told the General Assembly, “NO. . . you can’t take our guns!” The huge response and reaction by the gun-owning public is largely responsible for the failure on the part of Senate President John Cullerton to move his massive gun grab this week..

We really hate to sound like a broken record, but protecting your rights this past couple of weeks has severely depleted our cash reserves. We honestly don’t like going to the well this often, but we badly need your financial help or we will not be able to field a full staff of lobbyists next week. It would be great if everybody receiving this alert could donate as little as $25, we would be able to continue full speed ahead against the Emanuel/Cullerton attacks on your gun rights. If you don’t step up to help protect your rights, nobody else will!.

On behalf of all law-abiding Illinois firearm owners, thanks for your continued support!.

P.S. Organizers are reporting record crowds at gun shows held this weekend in Marion, IL and the DuPage show in Wheaton.

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Gun Banners Move To The Illinois House

January 5, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Illinois State Rifle Association issued an alert late last night concerning the moves by gun prohibitionists in the Illinois State House.

Rep. Eddie Acevedo has introduced an amendment that duplicates much of what was introduced earlier in the State Senate. It does have a twist in that it authorizes a contract with a non-public third party to create and administer a “registration eligibility verification system”. It is described as an “emergency contract”. I’m sure some friend of Rep. Acevedo or one of his Chicago cronies will benefit handsomely under this contract.

The ISRA Alert:


LATE BREAKING ALERT – NEXT VOTE ON SEMI AUTO BAN WILL TAKE PLACE SUNDAY
YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

After getting nowhere in the Senate, the gun controllers have taken their campaign to destroy your rights to the Illinois House. Earlier today, Amendment #1 to SB2899 was introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives. Sponsored by rabidly anti-gun Rep. Eddie Acevedo, the amendment would do two things to you:

1. It would pick your pocket to pay for the confiscation and destruction of your own guns.

2. It would ban more than 50% of the rifles and more than 80% of handguns owned by Illinois citizens.

THIS BILL WILL BE VOTED ON BY THE HOUSE JUDICIARY 1 COMMITTEE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON – YOU MUST ACT NOW!

To help save your guns, please contact the following Representatives and politely tell them that you are a law-abiding firearm owner and that you do not support SB2899 and that you expect them to vote the amendment down.

1. Rep. Elaine Nekritz,. (217) 558-1004 and (847) 257-0450

2. Rep. John Bradley, (217) 782-1051 and (618) 997-9697

3. Rep. Jill Tracy, (217) 782-8096 and (217) 223-0833

4. Rep. Michael Connelly, (217) 782-8028 and (630) 579-4848

5. Rep. Dwight Kay, (217) 782-8018 and (618) 307-9200

6. Rep. Lou Lang, (217) 782-1252 and (847) 673-1131

7. Rep. Sid Mathias, (217) 782-1664 and (847) 222-0061

8. Rep. André M. Thapedi, (217) 782-1702 and (773) 873-4444

9. Rep. Arthur Turner, (217) 782-8116 and (773) 277-4700

10. Rep. Ann Williams, (217) 782-2458 and (773) 880-9082

11. Rep. Michael Zalewski, (217) 782-5280 and (708) 442-6500

REMEMBER – THE AMENDMENT TO SB2899 WILL BE VOTED ON IN COMMITTEE SUNDAY AFTERNOON – START CALLING THESE REPRESENTATIVES BEGINNING SATURDAY AND CONTINUE CALLING THRU SUNDAY

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ISRA’s Week In Review

January 4, 2013 by

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 Movement

As 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 Cullerton’s proposal entailed. Here is a sampling of the extremist proposals advanced by Cullerton’s 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 men’s 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 customer’s 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 Cullerton’s proposal carried that to an extreme. Cullerton’s 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 Cullerton’s 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, don’t 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 I’d 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 I’d 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

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It Ain’t Over Yet In Illinois

January 4, 2013 by

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.

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Gun Prohibitionists At Work In Illinois Lame-Duck Session (Updated)

January 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

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.

From ISRA:


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 Cullerton’s 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.

From the NRA-ILA:


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 Ban

The 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.

UPDATE II: The NRA-ILA has released an alert stating that the vote could come as early as this afternoon on the AWB and magazine bans. Their alert is below:

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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Lisa’s Dilemma

December 14, 2012 by 9 Comments

Poor little Lisa. She has to decide if she wants to be governor or to satisfy the Chicago Democrats who have been some her biggest supporters.

Lisa is, of course, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. She is also the eldest daughter of Michael Madigan who is Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.

The decision Lisa must make is whether or not to appeal the decision of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in the cases of Moore v. Madigan and Shepard v. Madigan to the United States Supreme Court. The court’s decision mandates some sort of concealed carry law in Illinois in 180 days.

An interesting article in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch puts it this way:


Now Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who is widely viewed as a governor-in-waiting, faces a dilemma that is unique to Illinois: If she sides with gun-control advocates and appeals the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, she could deepen her party’s north-south regional rift while losing support from pro-gun downstate Democrats.

But if she lets the ruling stand, she could inadvertently end up as the face of concealed carry in Illinois, tarnishing her shining image with her core base of anti-gun Chicago Democrats.

While Chicago Democrats tend to be uniformly in the gun prohibitionist camp, it is important to remember in Illinois that downstate Democrats tend to be pro-gun rights. The concealed carry law that fell just a few votes short last year in the Illinois General Assembly had substantial support from Democrats outside of Chicagoland.

Downstate Democrats such as St. Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton) are urging Madigan to leave things stand as it will hurt Democrats if she appeals. A number of Illinois political scientists agree with Haine.

“This has been the most divisive issue between Chicago and downstate,” said state Sen. Bill Haine, D-Alton, a gun-rights advocate. He argues that it’s both in Madigan’s political interest and the state’s interest to let the ruling stand, which would mean Illinois would have to create a concealed carry law within 180 days.

“An appeal certainly doesn’t serve (Madigan’s) interests personally. Many people downstate would not understand,” Haine said. “They would conclude that this is just more Chicago politics.”

Chris Mooney, political scientist at the University of Illinois at Springfield, agrees.

“If she makes a federal case out of it, so to speak, there may be alienation of the Democratic Party downstate. That’s probably her biggest problem with pursuing this,” Mooney said. “The party made some progress downstate (in the last election). They want to be seen as more inclusive and not as ruling everything from Chicago.”

With an appeal, Madigan could also face the risk of a high-profile defeat in the nation’s highest court.

“Number one, you’re going to lose,” says John Jackson, political scientist at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. “There’s almost no chance the Supreme Court of the United States, as it’s currently composed, is going to overturn (the ruling).

“The smartest thing (for Madigan) to do,” he said, “is to leave it alone. There’s some voters in Chicago who might not like it … but I think they’re starting to realize they’ve lost the battle.”

Chicago Democrats such as House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) and Gov. Pat Quinn are urging Madigan to appeal.

Madigan herself has stayed quiet on her plans saying she is just studying the decision.

Part of me hopes that Madigan does appeal. The other part of me wants to see shall-issue concealed carry in Illinois sooner than later. On Saturday I will be driving to St. Louis and will go through Illinois. My hope is that by next Christmas I won’t have to disarm when I cross the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky and enter Illinois. I guess I have a dilemma, too.