This week we saw aggressive lobbying in Springfield from anti-gun extremists to promote legislation designed to infringe on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Fortunately, the Second Amendment prevailed. On Thursday, April 26, the Illinois House failed to pass House Bill 758, introduced by Representative Harry Osterman (D-14), which sought to require all firearm transfers to be processed by way of a phone call to the State Police. This would have required even private sales, between two law-abiding citizens with valid FOID cards, to generate a call to the State Police. Also failing to pass was House Bill 796, introduced by Representative Deborah Graham (D-78), which would create a new state-based licensing bureaucracy for firearm dealers.
During the votes, when it was obvious the bills did not have enough support to pass, the gun-ban crowd pulled HB 758 and HB 769 from the floor, and erased the recorded vote. This keeps both bills alive, and the margins with which they failed were close, with one razor-thin.
Please continue to contact your Representative and urge him to oppose HB 758 and HB 796, as well as all other anti-gun measures still pending.
Some of the more onerous bills that are still alive include: Senate Bill 16 and House Bill 873, sponsored by State Senator Anthony Munoz (D-1) and Representative Edward Acevedo (D-2) which would ban countless semi-automatic handguns, rifles, and shotguns, certain parts that can be added to a firearm, magazines and other ammunition feeding devices that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and .50 caliber rifles and ammunition. House Bill 731, sponsored by Representative Graham, seeks to expand the current mandatory storage law and make it virtually impossible for law-abiding gun owners to store a firearm in a way that would leave it readily accessible for self-defense. House Bill 1078, sponsored by Representative Luis Arroyo (D-3), and Senate Bill 102, sponsored by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3), seek to limit the number of handguns a law-abiding citizen may purchase in a 30-day period. Senate Bill 1471, sponsored by State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-33), would ban .50 caliber rifles, including bolt-action and single-shot rifles.
It is critical that you contact your State Senators and State Representatives and respectfully urge them to OPPOSE all of these bills and to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
The Illinois State Senate can be contacted at (217) 782-5715. The Illinois House of Representatives can be contacted at (217) 782-8223.
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