Illinois Carry

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Illinois Gun Issues And A Call For Witness Slips

February 6, 2017 by 1 Comment

The Illinois General Assembly uses an interesting means to state your support for or opposition to a bill called Witness Slips. While probably not quite as effective as testifying in person at a hearing, it still allows the citizens of the state to comment on bills.

Illinois Carry sent out an email this weekend regarding gun bills, both good and bad, that need witness slips. So if you live in Illinois, please avail yourself of this opportunity to make your voice heard in Springfield.

Call to Action


Witness Slips Needed





With the 100th General Assembly almost in full swing, the coming week brings several threats to our Second Amendment rights and the hope of advancing those rights, with your help.

Brush off the dust from your keyboards, find those old passwords, and let our legislators know that we remain unified in our support of the Second Amendment!
 

File Witness Slips Now!



Log On to the ILGA Dashboard, Create a New Account, or complete the required fields manually:
I,  IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter “NA” for the Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization.
 
II. REPRESENTATION: Enter “Myself” unless representing an organization.
 
III. POSITION: Unless instructed otherwise for a particular bill leave the description field at its default value “Original Bill”. Indicate your position by selecting the “Proponent” or “Opponent” radio button.
 
IV. TESTIMONY: Select the “Record of Appearance Only” radio button.
 
If filing manually, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.
 
Then click Create Slip.
Oppose



Support



Witness slips can be tracked here:


HB271 Handgun Ammo Serialize – OPPONENT

HB308 Firearm Transport – PROPONENT

HB329 Concealed Carry Prohibit Place – OPPONENT

HB365 Firearms Military Non-Resident – PROPONENT

HB377 Concealed Carry Business License – PROPONENT

HB413 2nd Amendment Preservation – PROPONENT

HB504 FOID Card Terrorist Watchlist – OPPONENT

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For Illinois Residents – A Tax Alert

January 30, 2017 by

The power to tax is the power to destroy is an abridged quote from the great orator, lawyer, and politician Daniel Webster. Illinois politicians know this all too well and now are seeking to add a 5% tax to club membership dues. So if your local rifle and pistol club charges you $200 a year in dues, your actual cost will now be $210 with that extra $10 going to the State of Illinois.

Illinois Carry has issued an alert on SB009 which, due to an amendment, would impose this very tax. Senate Amendment 2 specifically includes gun clubs, hunting clubs, and fishing clubs by name as “amusements”.  I know that the Prairie State’s finances are none too solid but I think a tax on the right of association as it were is going too far.

From Illinois Carry:

Call to
Action – Oppose SB009 Revenue Various
(Tax on gun
clubs, ranges, and hunting clubs)
Contact
Your State Senators This Week!
In our first Call to Action of the
newly seated 100th General Assembly, we bring to your attention SB009
Revenue Various.
SB009
started as a simple question of creating new taxes, a question too easily
answered “yes” in this state.  It is now more than that.
 Much more. 
Senate Amendment 2 seeks to impose 5%
membership and service taxes:
> In addition to the amusement
tax on ranges already imposed by several municipalities
> In addition to the Cook County tax on firearms and ammunition
> In addition to the proposed fees covering the cost of serializing
ammunition under HB271
> In addition to the already costly training and license fees required to
carry a concealed firearm in Illinois
> In addition to the cost of hunting licenses
> In addition to current local, state and federal sales taxes on products
associated with membership and use of hunting and gun clubs, training, and
competition.
These new taxes were
not, of course, presented in a forthright way that would foster open debate.
 Instead, they were hidden in amendments to SB009 among a plethora of
other taxes, filed quickly and quietly on a bill positioned to move through the
Senate at a moment’s notice.
We must recognize that
the more the state taxes our ability to train, compete, and hunt the more it
discourages the very practices that foster safe firearm ownership.  The
more it encourages people to purchase products and services elsewhere.​
The truth will be SB009’s greatest obstacle.
 Spread some truth, and spread our rights.
Beginning Monday, 1/30/2017, please
contact your State Senators in their district offices. Politely explain that
SB009 is no longer as it seems. Let them know that while we can debate the
wisdom of burdening Illinois with additional taxes one thing is not debatable.
The State does not have proper authority to tax our Second Amendment rights.
Contact information for your State Senator can be found here.
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Joining Forces In Illinois

February 1, 2016 by 5 Comments

One of the guiding principles of war is the concentration of forces.

To achieve success in war, it is essential to concentrate superior force, moral or material, to that of the enemy at the decisive time and place. Concentration does not necessarily imply a massing of forces, but rather having them so disposed as to be able to unite to deliver the decisive blow when and where required, or to counter the enemy’s threats. Concentration is a matter more of time than of space.

Having fought determined enemies of gun rights for a long time, the Illinois State Rifle Association has learned a thing or two about both strategy and tactics. Thus when I read the release below from ISRA, I shook my head in approval at the wisdom of it.

ISRA and Illinois Carry are joining forces in lobbying the Illinois General Assembly. Dr. Valinda Rowe and her husband Mike Rowe will be the Springfield coordinators for both ISRA and Illinois Carry. This concentration of forces to lobby for gun rights in Illinois will bring a greater focus to both the opportunities and threats facing Illinois gun owners.

Illinois State Rifle Association and IllinoisCarry.com Join Forces!


When the General Assembly returned to session this week, there were two new faces joining the Illinois State Rifle Association team. Valinda Rowe and husband Mike will serve as Springfield Coordinators and lobbyists for both the ISRA and IllinoisCarry.com. It was almost inevitable that the top two Second Amendment organizations in the state should team up to form an even more effective presence in Springfield. The national award winning ISRA and the national award winning grassroots group, IllinoisCarry.com, are joining forces for an even stronger front in the battle for Second Amendment rights for Illinois citizens. The two organizations represent nearly 40,000 gun owners in the State of Illinois.


ISRA President Don Moran, “We have worked closely with Valinda and Mike over the past decade, our parallel cases, IC / SAF’s Moore v Madigan and NRA / ISRA’s Sheppard v Madigan being the straw that broke the camel’s back in moving CCL forward in Illinois. It’s been a partnership for some time and our codifying it has been long overdue. The ISRA welcomes Valinda and Mike on board and we look forward to continuing to fight together for firearms rights in Illinois for years to come.” ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson, “I am pleased that the ISRA and IllinoisCarry are working together. The gun owners of this state will be well represented by this partnership.”


Valinda, spokesperson for IllinoisCarry and her husband, Mike, are excited about their new role in Springfield, “We believe this partnership will benefit both organizations and help each one to be better, stronger, and more efficient in many ways. We have always enjoyed working alongside our friends in the ISRA and we are excited to see that relationship expand. It is our hope to not only strengthen the ISRA’s presence in Springfield but to also increase the overall presence of all Second Amendment supporters.”

Correction: I incorrectly referred to Valinda Rowe as Dr. Valinda Rowe. I mixed Valinda’s credentials up with those of another stalwart in the fight for concealed carry in Illinois – Dr. Paula Bratich DVM.

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Warning And Call To Action For Illinois Residents

May 7, 2015 by 3 Comments

In the wake of the 7th Circuit’s ludicrous decision in Friedman v. City of Highland Park in which the court upheld a gun ban based on “feelings“, the gun prohibitionists in the Illinois legislature are trying to strike while the iron is hot. State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) has filed SB 2130 which would eliminate state preemption of local firearm ordinances. The state preemption of local ordinances was part of the grand compromise in the bill that allowed shall-issue carry in Illinois. Assault weapons (sic) bans in place before July 19, 2013 were allowed to remain in plan but no new ones could be enacted.

Both Illinois Carry and the Illinois State Rifle Association have issued alerts for their members and supporters on Sen. Morrison’s move to gut state preemption.

From Illinois Carry:

Currently, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act and FOID Act concerning concealed carry and transportation of firearms is the same throughout the entire state. On May 5, 2015, Senator Julie Morrison filed SB2130 Firearm Owners ID – Assault Weapons, a bill proposing to eliminate preemption of local ordinance related to modern sporting firearms and their accessories. Preemption was included as agreed language when the Firearm Concealed Carry Act was passed and, at the time, allowed ample opportunity for home rule municipalities desiring local regulation to enact such ordinances.

Eliminating preemption now would open the door to an ever growing patchwork of ordinances, making it nearly impossible for law abiding citizens to understand the legal status of their firearms when moving from place to place, and could turn legal firearms into illegal firearms in the blink of an eye.

This late in the session we do not get the same advance notice of committee hearings, readings, etc.. Everything is ramped up to move fast, sometimes overnight or faster, so instead of waiting for notice to file witness slips, it’s time to go directly to your legislators and voice your position. Please contact Senator Morrison immediately and express your concern about her bill interfering with your rights as a law abiding firearm owner.

Senator Morrison can be reached at:

(217) 782-3650
(847) 945-5200

jmorrison@senatedem.ilga.gov

Please contact your own State Senator to voice your opposition to SB2130.

Telephone numbers and email addresses can be found at this link.

I will add the Illinois State Rifle Association alert at a later time as I don’t have access to it at work.

UPDATE: Here is the alert from ISRA.

URGENT ALERT – YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

MASSIVE GUN GRAB INTRODUCED IN ILLINOIS SENATE

IF THEY WIN – THEY’LL EMPTY YOUR GUN CABINET

Anti-gun extremist State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) has introduced a dangerous gun control bill that would ban the possession of most of the guns you now own. If passed, SB 2130 would allow city councils and village boards to decide which firearms you would be allowed to own – and you know what that means.

Many insiders believe that SB 2130 is the gun control movement’s first stab at legislation that would allow city councils and village boards regulate concealed carry at the local level – and you know what that means too.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TOGETHER WE MUST STOP SB 2130

The gun-grabbers have tipped their hand. They are planning a full-out assault on your gun rights in the closing days of the spring legislative session.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO SAVE YOUR GUN RIGHTS:

1. Call State Senator Julie Morrison at (217) 782-3650 and politely tell the person that answers the phone that you are a law-abiding firearm owner and that you oppose Julie Morrison’s efforts to crush your gun rights. You should also call Senator Morrison’s district office at (847) 945-5200 to deliver that same message.

2. Call your state senator and politely tell him or her that you are a law-abiding firearm owner and that you do not appreciate Sen. Morrison’s efforts to restrict your rights. Politely ask your senator to vote against SB 2130. If you do not know who your senator is, or if you do not know how to get in touch with your senator, then click this link: Find Your Senator.

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

4. Pass this alert on to your friend and family and ask them to make phone calls as well.

REMEMBER – ONLY YOU CAN STOP THE GUN-GRABBERS FROM DESTROYING THE 2nd AMENDMENT!

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On Today’s Legislative Calendar For Gun Rights

May 30, 2013 by

Legislative sessions across the country are slowly coming to a close and with it come votes on gun rights issue. There will be important votes today in both Illinois and New Jersey.

The Illinois Senate will be voting on a number of bills that impact gun rights. Perhaps the most important one will be on their version of a concealed carry law. The bill is HB183 Gun Safety and Responsibility Act and is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago). It is opposed by the NRA, ISRA, and Illinois Carry. The bill is much weaker than SB2193 that passed the State House last week and it preserves home-rule on firearms issues.

The other bills coming up include SB851 Safety Tech sponsored by Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago), SB1002 Criminal Law Tech sponsored by Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), and SB1003 Criminal Law Tech sponsored by Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago). Raoul’s SB851 includes both universal background checks and a lost or stolen reporting requirement. Kotowski’s SB1002 is a magazine ban bill with an exception for movie and TV productions. Finally, Munoz’s SB1003 increases penalties for firearms violations – even unintentional. All of these bills are opposed by Illinois Carry and ISRA.

The Illinois Senate is scheduled to go into session at 11am Central.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Senate will be taking up a number of bills that either ban certain firearms or curtail Second Amendment rights. They go into session at 2pm Eastern.

From the Outdoor Wire on S. 2723 and S. 2178:

Senate Bill 2723 — This omnibus bill sponsored by Senate President Stephen Sweeney includes many different gun control sections which will impact retailers and gun owners throughout the state. It suspends Second Amendment rights if one does not have proof of firearms training, including for all current handgun owners; imposes a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases; bans all private sales of firearms; effectively creates a registry of ammunition purchases and long gun sales.

Senate Bill 2178 — Sponsored by state Senators Raymond Lesniak (D-20) and Barbara Buono (D-18), this bill is a flat-out statewide gun ban on possession of .50 caliber firearms. The current version was amended to make this bill effective immediately upon enactment.

Other bad bills include S. 2485 which bans anyone who is on the No-Fly list from having either a firearms ID card or a pistol purchase permit and S. 2467 which mandates divestiture in gun companies by the state pension system.

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society issued an alert yesterday on these and other bills. It can be found here and gives contact information.

If you are a resident of either state, I’d urge you to contact your state senators as well as senate leadership to register your opposition to these bills.

UPDATE: In what may come as no surprise, the New Jersey Senate passed all the gun control bills before it. Sebastian has the whole story here. One needs only to see this video to understand the disdain those in power in the Garden State hold both the 1st and 2nd Amendments. If the State Trooper’s shirt had been either brown or black, you’d have sworn a time machine had transported you to the era of the Third Reich.

No word yet on any grand compromise from Illinois on concealed carry.