Gov. Pat Quinn

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Quinn’s Veto Overriden In The Illinois General Assembly

July 9, 2013 by 1 Comment

Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of HB 183 was overriden in the Illinois House today on a vote of 77 for and 31 against. It now goes to the Illinois Senate where Sen. Gary Forby (D-Marion) has introduced a motion to override the veto.

Today is the day that the stay issued by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in the joint cases of Shepard v. Madigan and Moore v. Madigan expires.

UPDATE: Interestingly enough, the Illinois State Police is prepared for the bill’s passage. It has up a  FAQ page on concealed carry permits including the cost of permits and the qualifications to obtain a permit.

UPDATE II: Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly overrode Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto. The Senate vote was 41 to 17.

The State of Illinois now has concealed carry. While it will take a while to get things up and running, the state does have concealed carry.

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ISRA On Quinn’s Amendatory Veto

July 3, 2013 by

The Illinois State Rifle Association is taking a dim view of Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of HB 183 which provides for that state’s concealed carry. They are asking people who live in Illinois to contact their legislators and ask them to vote to override the amendatory veto. Given that the bill was passed in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly by veto-proof majorities, it is essential that those who voted for the initial bill vote continue to vote to override.

From ISRA Alert:

GOVERNOR QUINN’S SOFT SPOT FOR CRIMINALS RESULTS IN VETO OF CONCEALED CARRY

As many of you know by now, Governor Quinn today issued an amendatory veto of HB0183, otherwise known as Concealed Carry. In issuing his veto, Quinn renders HB0183 essentially worthless from a self-defense perspective.

Under Quinn’s amendments to the bill, most public locations would be “off limits” for concealed carry. Furthermore, firearms would have to be carried in a closed container out of the view of the public. Making concealed carry even more impractical is Quinn’s restriction limiting licensees to one firearm and no more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

Quinn’s amendatory veto contains a whole host of other restrictions that are aimed not only at hindering concealed carry, but also at suppressing the citizen’s right to keep and bear arms in general.

Although Quinn claims his veto is in the interest of public safety, the truth of the matter is that Quinn is using HB0183 as a vehicle to punish firearm owners. Quinn’s motives were made abundantly clear by his decision to surround himself with anti-gun extremists as he announced his veto. Quinn even stood side by side with Fr. Michael Pfleger, the Catholic priest who has openly called for gun shop owners and pro-gun elected officials to be dragged into the streets and murdered.

The bottom line is this: if Quinn’s amendatory veto of HB0183 is not overturned, law-abiding gun owners will have fewer rights than they had before HB0183 was even drafted. Yes, that’s right; HB0183 has been transformed into a gun control bill.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO SAVE CONCEALED CARRY AND SAVE YOUR GUNS

1. Immediately phone your State Representative AND your State Senator and politely tell the person who answers the phone that you are a law abiding firearm owner who wishes to see Governor Quinn’s amendatory veto of HB0183 overturned. Phone lines will be busy, but keep trying until you get through. If you do not know who your Senator or Representative is, the Illinois State Board of Elections has an interactive search page here:
www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

If you know who your state legislators are, you can find their contact info here:
www.ilga.gov/house/ and www.ilga.gov/senate/ .

2. Pass this alert on to your friends and family and ask them to call too.

3. Post this Alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.

4. Take the time to sign up a new ISRA member. ISRA needs the continued support of Illinois gun owners.

If you remain silent, you are giving Quinn tacit approval of his gun control folly.

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Amendatory Veto Expected In Illinois (Updated)

July 2, 2013 by 4 Comments

Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL) is expected to issue an amendatory veto of the Illinois carry bill HB 183. Looking at the LiveStream of the event which starts at 11am CDT, it is packed with little kids holding “Moms Demand Action” posters and other anti-gun propaganda.

On the IllinoisCarry.com forum, Todd Vandermyde has posted his expectations of what the amendatory veto will contain. They include:

The Governor is rumored to be making several changes to the bill which would include:


  • · Limiting individuals to carrying a single handgun with a single magazine and no more than 10 rounds of ammo.
  • · Changing the definition to where the handgun must be completely concealed as opposed to concealed or mostly concealed
  • · Banning carry in any place that serves alcohol except private clubs and residence. This would nullify the restaurant carry provisions of the bill.
  • · Inverting the no carry posting to make carry permissible only in places that post it is OK to carry a concealed firearm
  • · Allowing employers to ban firearms on their property and negate the safe harbor provisions.
  • · Remove the ability of individuals to get out of their vehicle and store their handguns in the trunk of their vehicle


Look for the Legislature to move to override the veto when they come back the 8th or 9th.

 Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) expects the veto to be overridden.

State Rep. Brandon Phelps, a Harrisburg Democrat, said the governor’s office told him Quinn will sign an amended bill Tuesday — seven days before a July 9 deadline to legalize carry of weapons after a federal appeals court found Illinois’ last-in-the-nation ban unconstitutional.

Phelps said he was not told what will be changed but said he likely would try to override any amendments to the hard-won compromise.

 I’ll have more as it is announced.

UPDATE:  As expected, Quinn issued an amendatory veto of  HB 183. He noted that he still objects to the decision of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Shepard v. Madigan and Moore v. Madigan.

Quinn said that HB 183 has “serious flaws” and that he is proposing some “commonsense” revisions under his power to issue an amendatory veto. They include most of what Todd Vandermyde had said would be coming.

They are in order from my notes:

  1. Ban on carry in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol
  2. The bill’s limits on home rule regarding “assault weapons” (sic) would be removed. corrected
  3. Changes the posting requirement from requiring business owners to post if carry is banned to one in which they would post if allowed.
  4. Employers can ban firearms in employee cars in their parking lots.
  5. A concealed carry permit holder would be restricted to one firearms with one 10-round (maximum) magazine.
  6. Would mandate that the Illinois State Police have more access to mental health records to prevent those who with a “clear and present danger” of having a permit.
  7. Absolute concealment is required.
  8. The Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board would be subject to both the Open Meetings Act and the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
  9. Would require immediate disclosure to law enforcement if you are carrying concealed.

Quinn blamed the “errors” in the bill on the “hurried” process which was the fault of the National Rifle Association.

Quinn’s letter to the legislature announcing his amendatory veto is found here.

He announced a new state funded website called Keep Illinois Safe which will have more information on his veto. The website is now live and it can be found here.

The rest of the news conference consists of gun prohibitionists prattling on about “gun violence” (sic) and I have stopped watching.

UPDATE II: The full text of Quinn’s amendatory veto including the actual changes is now on the General Assembly’s website. It is located here. The bill has now been placed on the House calendar.

UPDATE III: Reaction from the Democrats in the Illinois State Senate on the Illinois Senate Democrats webpage to the amendatory veto is uniformly critical of Quinn. I am actually surprised at this uniformity but note that Cook County senators have not yet been heard from.

Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) “I am disappointed—but not surprised—Governor Quinn waited so long to veto concealed carry while he tried to score political points. Even though he has put lawmakers in a difficult position, I am optimistic that we will be able to override his veto and finally get a law on the books.”

Senator Bill Haine (D-Alton) “I would hope that we quickly get this matter before the General Assembly and have an opportunity to override the veto, allowing the State Police to begin the conceal carry process for trained, law-abiding citizens.”

Senator Mike Jacobs (D-Moline) “I recently signed a letter with my colleagues asking Governor Pat Quinn to act on House Bill 183. I am disappointed in the governor’s action to veto the bipartisan concealed-carry measure passed by the General Assembly in May. We need a concealed-carry law that applies to all gun owners equally, regardless of where you live.”

Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville) “I’m disappointed but not surprised with the governor’s actions today on the concealed carry legislation. He has ignored the will of the people, the courts and the General Assembly. I will work strenuously to see that the veto is overridden so Illinois, even though last to do so, will finally allow concealed carry.”

 UPDATE IV: Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) has filed a motion in the House to override Gov. Quinn’s amendatory veto.

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Quinn’s Amendatory Veto Overridden In Illinois House

December 4, 2012 by 2 Comments

The Illinois State House of Representatives has overridden Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of SB 681 by a vote of 78 yea to 28 nay. The breakdown of the vote by representative can be seen here.

Quinn used his amendatory veto power to graft on a ban on certain semi-automatic firearms, standard capacity magazines, and .50BMG rifles to a bill that would allow Illinois dealers to sell ammunition by mail order.

The Illinois State Rifle Association issued this legislative alert on the override this afternoon:

SB681 Bill Has Been Over-ridden By The House of Representatives and the Governors Veto!

Today, the Illinois House of Representatives has voted to over ride SB681 and the Governors veto. By a vote of 78-28-0, the bill is now considered dead.

SB681 as previously reported had to do with restriction of shipping ammunition to Illlinois residents.

Thanks to the Illinois State Rifle Association membership and gun owners throughout the state, along with the many phone calls made to legislators, we were able to stop this bill from becoming law.

 As a point of clarification, Quinn’s substitute language is dead and the original language of the bill restored meaning that Illinois dealers can now ship ammo to FOID card holders.

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IL Gov. Quinn’s Amendatory Veto Over-Ridden In State Senate

November 29, 2012 by 4 Comments

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of a bill that would have allowed Illinois residents to purchase ammunition by mail order was over-ridden in the Illinois State Senate yesterday by a 49-4 vote. Quinn used the amendatory veto to rewrite the bill to ban semi-auto rifles, standard capacity magazines, and rifles in .50 caliber.

The original sponsor of the bill says that Quinn overstepped his authority:

Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (LUK’-tuh-feld) of Okawville
(OH-kuh-vil) says Quinn overstepped his authority. Luechtefeld’s
original bill merely allowed approved Illinois gun owners who buy
ammunition through the mail to purchase it from Illinois companies as
well as those out of state. 

The Peoria Journal-Star reports that Quinn is not giving up on his attempts to ban semi-automatic rifles with cosmetic features he doesn’t like.

Spokeswoman Brooke Anderson says the Democratic governor will continue
seeking a statewide assault-weapons ban to enhance public safety. She
would not elaborate on his strategy.

The measure now goes to the State House for action on the governor’s veto. If they override it, Illinois residents will be able to purchase ammunition by mail-order from Illinois companies.

Kurt Hofmann, the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner and a resident of southern Illinois, has more on it here.

UPDATE: Richard Pearson, Ex. Director of ISRA, included this info in his Thursday bulletin about overriding the veto.

On Wednesday, Nov. 28th, 2012, the Illinois Senate passed SB681 in its original form at a margin of 49 – 4. The bill, SB681, was a simple bill that allowed ammunition to be mail ordered from dealers or companies in Illinois and shipped to FOID card holders in Illinois. FOID card holders could already order ammunition from out of state sources.

The Governor illegally used his amendatory veto power and substituted language to turn SB681 into an all encompassing ‘assault’ weapons ban. The Illinois Senate reaffirmed the original language and intent of SB681.

Next week, SB681 will have to be voted on in the Illinois House of Representatives. Be sure to call your state representative and ask them to vote for the override of the Governor’s Veto of SB681. To reach your representative, please click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections website to learn who your legislators are!

 The Illinois House of Representatives goes back in session on Tuesday, Dec. 4th.

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NRA-ILA On Illinois Governor’s Proposed AWB

August 2, 2012 by

The NRA-ILA released a harsh and detailed response yesterday to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 681. You can read it below:

Gov. Quinn uses a previously NRA-Backed Ammunition Purchase Reform Bill as Vehicle for Gun Ban

Yesterday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D) vetoed the NRA-backed ammunition purchase reform bill, Senate Bill 681, after this common sense legislation had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Illinois legislature (previously reported on here). In a crass attempt to exploit the recent tragedy in Colorado and seek media attention, Quinn used his Amendatory Veto powers in a foolhardy attempt to impose more draconian gun control in Illinois. Quinn rewrote the entire bill as an amendment to the Illinois Criminal Code that includes an onerous ban on the manufacture, possession, delivery or sale of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms (inaccurately referred to as “assault weapons”), .50 caliber rifles and cartridges and “high capacity” magazines in Illinois. Quinn’s amendment additionally tramples on the rights of Illinois citizens by creating a de facto statewide registration scheme for currently-owned firearms and magazines.

If this amendment is accepted by the Illinois General Assembly, law-abiding citizens in Illinois will be subjected to restrictions far beyond the scope of even the misguided Clinton Federal “Assault Weapons“ Ban that expired in 2004 and any other in existence in the country today. The repercussions of such a gun ban would be disastrous. As demonstrated by the failure of the assault weapon ban of 1994-2004 to produce the crime-reducing results proponents claimed it would, Quinn’s ban would do nothing to increase safety in Illinois and would only further restrict the rights of already law-abiding citizens throughout the state.

Using the well-worn anti-gun tactic of confusion, by conflating certain popular semi-automatic firearms with machine guns by using the term “assault weapon,” this legislation targets many of the most popular guns used for hunting and competition, as well as many models and magazines (those that hold more than ten rounds) used for self-defense. Banned items would include many familiar and popular firearms, such as:

  • Turkey hunting shotguns with pistol grips, like the Benelli Super Black Eagle II;
  • Plinking and target rifles with thumbhole stocks, as often seen on customized Ruger 10/22s;
  • High-power target rifles — even including the 1994-2004 versions of rifles like the M1A and AR-15 that were made to comply with the now-expired federal ban — because all of those rifles had handguards that “encircle” the barrel;
  • Any detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifle with even a partial handguard, potentially including common hunting rifles like the popular Remington 740/7400 series, Browning BAR, and many more like them.


This gun ban would even apply to the individual parts themselves (stocks, pistol grips, handguards, folding or telescoping stocks, etc). Possession, manufacture, delivery or sale of any of these items would be a felony.

Worse yet, this amended bill would impose a massive statewide gun registration scheme. Anyone who already possesses one of the banned guns or parts would have to provide proof of ownership and register each one with the State Police within ninety days of the effective date. This registration requirement spans from the firearm itself to individual parts and magazines that fall under the ban.

Governor Quinn and his band of anti-gun Chicago politicians would like to see their vicious attack on the Second Amendment play out across Illinois, even as Chicago—with the state’s most restrictive gun laws—is on track to tally more than 500 murders this year.

The repercussions of such a gun ban would actually be just the opposite of what proponents claim and the results would be disastrous. Firearms manufacturing is estimated to be a $250 million dollar industry in Illinois. Not only would this gun ban be devastating to law-abiding citizens in Illinois, it also would wreak havoc on an entire industry, killing jobs and driving a healthy contributor to the Illinois economy out of state. This legislation in no way promotes the safety or well-being of Illinois citizens, but is merely another attempt by gun-hating Chicago politicians to use misinformation to push draconian gun bans that will only affect gun owners, sportsmen and law-abiding citizens concerned about self-defense.

Your Action Is Needed! The Illinois General Assembly will reconvene on August 17th for their special session, and could vote on the Governor’s amendment to Senate Bill 681. Contact your state legislators TODAY and demand they oppose the Governor’s gun ban!

Contact information for all state legislators can be found by clicking here.

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A Tale Of Two Chicago Newspapers

August 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

One Chicago newspaper had a column today that espoused a voice of reason with regard to semi-automatic firearms. Its competitor calls them “extreme weapons of slaughter.”

Steve Chapmen, writing in his Chicago Tribune column, called Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto “a pointless gesture.”

If allowing these guns stimulated more killing, the national murder rate wouldn’t have declined by 13 percent after the ban expired. But that’s what happened.

Prohibiting “assault weapons” is a pointless gesture. Those who propose a ban are only proving they don’t understand basic facts about guns and violence or don’t care.

The Chicago Sun-Times, by contrast, is happy that Gov. Quinn is exploiting the shootings in Aurora. When Illinois State Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) accused Quinn of exploiting the tragedy, the Sun-Times said, “Damn right he is — and good for him.”

Showing that they really don’t understand the bill and just how extreme the restrictions that would be imposed if the Illinois General Assembly concurs with Quinn’s amendatory veto, they say the veto won’t limit handguns. Then they make the nonsensical suggestion to single out only AR-15s.

Quinn didn’t dilute his moral argument by calling for any other form of gun control, such as new limits on handguns.

But let’s go the governor one better. How about we agree to ban only assault weapons, putting off for another day the debate over high-round magazines?

Better yet, let’s ban only certain assault weapons, such as the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle used in the Colorado theater rampage. The AR-15 can rattle off 30 rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger.

Let’s bang the drum for a ban on just these extreme weapons of slaughter to make the point, if nothing else, that even the most conservative gun control proposal will always be shot down by one extremist organization, the National Rifle Association.

The problem with their argument is that as the veto reads firearms such as the Glock pistol would end up being banned due to the existence of the Glock 18. Read the amendatory veto here and see if you don’t agree. See Sec. 24-1.9 (a)(1)(C)(vi).

The Sun-Times editorial tries to make the NRA the whipping boy in this matter and accuses them of being the extremists for sticking up for the Second Amendment and constitutional rights. What if a bill was passed that said newspapers were restricted to letter presses such as Ben Franklin used that could only print a page at a time. Those high capacity web presses would be forbidden as they were never imagined by the Founding Fathers when they passed the First Amendment. This is analogous to their arguments and just as ridiculous.

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Illinois Governor Proposes AWB

July 31, 2012 by

The Springfield (Illinois) State Journal-Register is reporting late this morning that Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL) is proposing a ban on so-called “assault weapons” (sic) in Illinois.

The Democrat will use his amendatory veto power Tuesday to include the ban in a bill related to ammunition sales. It would then be up to lawmakers to accept his changes or reject them.

The report states that his proposal faces “big hurdles” noting that other gun control measures have recently failed in the Illinois General Assembly. From a constitutional standpoint, such a law would be on shaky ground as the AR-15 is the highest selling rifle in recent years and should be considered in “common use.”

UPDATE: The Illinois State Rifle Association is taking Gov. Quinn’s proposal very seriously. The bill he hijacked was a pro-gun bill. They sent out the following early this morning:

GOVERNOR QUINN TEAMS UP WITH MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL TO PROPOSE BILL TO TAX AND BAN YOUR GUNS

YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

As many of you know, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today utilized his amendatory veto authority to hijack a pro-gun bill and convert it into a ban on so called assault weapons. Quinn claims that his bill would “…make Illinois a safer place.”

Of course, lawful Illinois firearm owners know better. We know that Quinn’s true aim is to obliterate private firearm ownership in the state. Closer analysis of Quinn’s bill reveals a host of opportunities for Quinn and his buddy Emanuel to make life miserable for the state’s lawful firearm owners.

Here is just a partial list of what this bill would do, if passed:

1. Ban the manufacture, possession or sale of nearly every semiautomatic rifle, pistol and shotgun you own.

2. Specifically ban Glock pistols since they share a common design with the Glock 18, a select fire handgun.

3. Require you to register every semiautomatic firearm and every magazine you own that exceeds 10 round capacity. The kicker is that, under Quinn’s proposal, the State Police can charge you unlimited fees to register your guns. Thus if Quinn’s bill passes, you could very well find yourself paying $100 or even $1,000 per firearm per year to comply with the law. Additionally, you could find yourself paying $50, $100 or even $500 per year for each “high capacity” magazine you own. Can’t pay? Well then you would have to surrender your guns to the State Police for destruction.

This is just a taste of what you could expect from Quinn’s gun ban. Twists and turns in the bill would certainly open up the doors to taxation, regulation, and outright bans on every civilian owned firearm in the state.

Oh, and one thing is for sure, you can forget about concealed carry if Quinn’s gun ban passes.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PROTECT YOUR GUN RIGHTS:

1. Call your State Senator ASAP and politely tell him or her that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner and that you expect him or her to vote against Quinn’s gun ban should it come up for a vote. If you do not know who your State Senator is, please follow this link:

Illinois Board of Elections District Official/Search:
http://www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

2. Pass this alert on to all your friends and family who own firearms. Tell them to make calls to the senate as well.

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

4. If you’re not already a member of the ISRA, then it’s time you signed on to protect your gun rights. To join the ISRA, follow this link: www.isra.org/join

5. Make a generous donation to the ISRA today so that we will be able to fight on against gun grabbers like Pat Quinn and Rahm Emanuel: www.isra.org/fight_4_your_rights.

If you live in Illinois, now is the time to act. If you have relatives or friends in Illinois, let them know about this attack on their gun rights.