Illinois G.A. Back in Session.

Updates in red.

The Illinois General Assembly has come back into session.  It looks as though, for right now, our big push should focus on stopping the Gun Dealer Licensing scheme in the Senate (SB-1657).  If we kill it in the Senate, it's dead in the House.  In fact, if it dies in the Senate, word has it that it won't get called in committee in the House.  Yes, I know it was scheduled for this week, but schedules change just like the weather in Illinois.

Call your Illinois State Senator and urge them to oppose SB-1657  if your state Senator is a Democrat.   KEY VOTES INCLUDE: Bennett (52nd) in Champaign area and Manar (48th) in Carlinville area and Hastings (19th) in the suburbs.  UPDATE: If you have a female Republican Senator, call her.  Really.  Do it.  Just a simple phone call to say, "please oppose SB-1657, the Gun Dealer Licensing Bill" is all you need to say.  The legislator's staff are merely making hash marks counting those opposed (or in support).  Save your breath when it comes to reasons in this call, okay?

Of course, Senate "squishies" hold the fate of SB-1657.  As a reminder, this is the bill that would bury gun dealers in Honest Abe's home state under a mountain of rules, regulations and fees.  It also would limit you and me, the non-dealers in Illinois, to nine firearm transfers per year.  That tenth transfer – less than one gun bought or sold per month for a calendar year – will cost you more prison time that the Chicago South Side gang banger felons who get caught with a gun doing a drive-by in Englewood.

Americans for Responsible Solutions, just one of the several Washington, D.C.-based national gun control groups, has formally registered a Washington D.C. lobbyist.  Don't think for a minute that the national gun control groups have not come into the Prairie State to push this bill in particular.  These groups bring a lot of cash money and "prestige" to promote gun control among radical progressive Democrats.

UPDATE:  Everytown, or one of the other gun grabber groups have also hired themselves two Republican lobbyists to pimp this onerous, freedom-killing bill.

Latest Gun Dealer Licensing "Amendment".

The latest Amendment to SB-1657, not even yet filed, can be found here.  What's the change?  It carves out the big box stores from the Gun Dealer Licensing law. 

See page 9:

(13) transfers of firearms by a dealer in which 20% or less 20% of the dealer's annual sales are from the sale of firearms.

In the irony to end all ironies, here's Don Harmon, the radical leftist hater of the Walmarts of the world, giving Walmart a free pass from his bill.  How's that for picking winners and losers?  Let's face it, Senator Don Harmon is a loser.

UPDATE:  Something else I missed (that I thought was a part of the earlier bill, but it wasn't):  Manufacturers are exempt.  We'll see if the Illinois Firearms Manufacturers Association, funded by Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms, will throw everyday gun owners and gun dealers under the bus now that the gun-control types have given them an exemption.

(11) transfers by a manufacturer or importer; provided,
5 that a dealer holding a Federal Firearms License Type 01-dealer
6 in firearms other than destructive devices; Type 02-pawnbroker
7 in firearms other than destructive devices; or Type 09-dealer
8 of destructive devices on April 1, 2017, is not exempt from
9 this Act by obtaining a Manufacturer Federal Firearms License
10 or Importer Federal Firearms License;

The Lethal Violence "Disarm Your Victim" Order of Protection Bill

The LVOP bills (SB-1291 and HB-2354) has caught a bad cold.  Don't let your guard down though.  When you call your Democrat Senator, make sure you tell him (or her) to oppose SB-1291.  If you have a Democrat Represenative, call them and urge them to oppose HB-2354.  Remember, no long explanations are needed and the person answering the phone is just a staffer, not a decision-maker.  Be courteous and professional.

New Scheme / Scam

The latest scheme of gun grabbers working to keep us good guys on the defensive is hidden inside SB-233 Amendment One.  It's a "gut and replace" amendment that throws more money at high crime neighborhoods.  Not only does the bill do nothing to put bad actors in prison, but it allows individuals who commit violent crimes with guns a "get out of jail free" card – including charges dismissed – if they

• Promise to be a good boy or girl and not rob, rape, murder, or pillage their neighbors any more.
• Refrain from possessing any weapons.
• Perform 30-hours of community service to benefit criminals with gunshot wound disabilities.  (Okay, they didn't specify criminals, but let's face it, the overwhelming majority of Chicago GSW victims have extensive criminal backgrounds.)
• Attend education to learn gun laws and penalties for violating them.  As though borderline illiterate ne'er-do-wells are going to study anything except ne'er-do-wellism.
• Receive counseling for impulse control!  (Are you laughing out loud yet?)
• Receive "supervision".  If their parents failed to supervise them properly, how is an over-worked probation officer supposed to supervise them in any meaningful manner?

That's right:  Florida imposed a mandatory 10-year sentence for those in possession of a firearm while committing a violent crime as part of their 10-20-Life sentencing enhancement law.  That helped Florida achieve a historic low in that state's firearm violent crime rate.  Illinois, on the other hand, is offering a get out of jail free card for first time criminals in possession of a firearm.   Does anyone think this Illinois bill will make Illinois' streets safer?

In addition to this lunacy, we found something especially troubling on page 83.  Tucked away is this:

(740 ILCS 23/5)
5		Sec. 5. Discrimination prohibited.
6		(a) No unit of State, county, or local government in
7		Illinois shall:
8		(1) exclude a person from participation in, deny a
9		person the benefits of, or subject a person to
10		discrimination under any program or activity on the grounds
11		of that person's race, color, national origin, or gender;
12		or
13		(2) utilize criteria or methods of administration that
14		have the effect of subjecting individuals to
15		discrimination because of their race, color, national
16		origin, or gender; or
17		(3) fail to regulate firearm dealers for the sale of
18		firearms in a fashion that results in a statistically
19		disproportionate rate of firearm offenses in economically
20		disadvantaged or racially segregated communities as
21		compared to other communities.

The bill should be retitled:  The Big Brother Will Punish Firearm Dealers For Gang Violence Act.

Keep an eye out for your opportunity to file a witness slip against this warm, squishy dog turd of a bill.

Working Together

Illinois has nearly one dozen anti-gun groups working to promote any gun control victory.  We've got our half-dozen homegrown gun grabber groups, working more or less in conjunction with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.  Then there are a half-dozen national groups that have come in from Washington D.C. to show the Illinois-based groups how it's done.  These D.C. "elites" have set up shop in Springfield hotels, lobbying their little hearts out.  They include the Brady Campaign, Everytown for Gun Control, Moms Demand Attention, Americans for Responsible Solutions (Gabby Giff's group), Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and National Gun Victims Action Council.

All three of the major gun rights groups in Illinois remain shoulder-to-shoulder in this tough fight, despite the vast sums of money and army of anti-gun lobbyists walking the halls of the state capitol building.  Guns Save Life and the Illinois State Rifle Association continue to work closely with the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action to beat back these bills to strip our gun rights and punish gun dealers for the sins of gang members in Chicago. 

Top, GSL President Steve Davis with ISRA's Executive Director Richard Pearson and GSL Executive Director John Boch at a Guns Save Life meeting featuring Mr. Pearson as a guest speaker.  Bottom, ISRA's lobbyist Maureen Mulhall, ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson, American Suppressor Association head Knox Williams and NRA-ILA's Illinois liaison Shannon Alford discuss strategy and planning with GSL's John Boch in the Illinois Capitol Complex.

In the end, the professionals at the NRA-ILA are taking the lead.  GSL and ISRA work to implement a comprehensive strategy to not only stop this year's crop of really bad bills, but also to get suppressors for Illinois residents.  We as Guns Save Life take great pride in our role in fighting not only the local gun grabbers, but also the national groups.  In a world where you're known by the company you keep, we're proud to stand with the ISRA at the National Rifle Association's side.

Some Good News!

We're making a difference to not only fight back these schemes new and old, but we're inching closer to moving on the Suppressor bill.

The Suppressor Bill has the full support of all of the major gun rights players in Illinois.  Gun dealers in Illinois remain strongly supportive of "mufflers for guns" too.   We certainly welcome additional support from other quarters as well.

The Big Picture

The leftist gun grabbers in Illinois – and those paid shills from national gun control groups – badly want a victory.  Any victory.  The "progressive" left in the Illinois General Assembly keep talking about striking some sort of grand bargain.  They want us, the good guys, to surrender on some sort of gun control and they pinkie-promise to give us suppressors.  Or maybe just non-resident military carry that Illinois Carry's leadership has promoted relentlessly.  Or maybe they won't give us anything at all.

We keep telling them to pound sand.  We're not give them orders of protection that can be readily abused or gun dealer licensing that will ration our rights to buy and sell guns and to drive half or two-thirds of local gun stores out of business. 

The roll calls on these bills are razor thin.  If Cullerton or Madigan decide they really want these bills, they will pass the House and Senate unless gun owners melt the phone lines.  Right now, Senate and House leadership don't seem to have a dog in this fight, aside from tacit support.

At the same time, there are plenty of House and Senate senior members who are working hard to achieve some sort of "compromise".   Because, solving the horrific violent crime problem in their districts is OUR responsibility, and not theirs?  Yeah, right.

Are you supporting us in our efforts to fight not one, but a dozen gun control groups and their deep pockets?  We don't have any billionaire sugar daddies like Michael Bloomberg or George Soros helping us.  We have everyday Illinoisans behind us.  Join Gun Save Life and enjoy the benefits of membership.  GSL members get GunNews delivered to their mailbox each month, potential access to our legal defense fund and a whole lot more.  Don't sit on the sidelines.  Don't fall victim to complacency.  Join here today.