House Bill 48 is now on the House Floor, and could be taken up at any time.  This legislation is one of the top priorities of anti-gunners in Illinois, and poses a serious threat of passing the House.  It is unclear when this bill will be called, so it is critical that you begin to contact your State Representative as early as Monday, March 2, and keep the pressure up until this bill is defeated.  Please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to call their State Representatives as well.

Introduced by anti-gun State Representative Harry Osterman (D-14), HB48 would require virtually all handgun transfers to be processed through a licensed firearm dealer.  In other words, even though the law already requires all private transfers to be carefully recorded—with information such as the date of transfer and serial number of the handgun maintained for 10 years—and both the seller and purchaser must have valid FOID Cards, HB 48 would require the additional step of processing the transfer through a federally licensed dealer. 

Even if you plan on selling a handgun to a neighbor you’ve known for 20 years, or to a cousin you’ve known your whole life, under HB 48, you and the purchaser would be required to go to a federally licensed firearm dealer to complete the transfer.  

The House Executive Committee has historically been hostile to the Second Amendment, and we can anticipate HB 48 will not meet enough resistance to slow it down when it is brought up for consideration.   

Contact your State Representative TODAY and urge him or her to OPPOSE HB 48.  Contact information can be found here.