Illinois: Another Bill To Make Owning a Firearm More Complicated!

Please Contact Your State Representative Today!

House Bill 48, a bill that would eliminate most private transfers of handguns, has been assigned to the House Executive Committee, and may be considered as soon as Wednesday, February 25. 

This legislation, introduced by anti-gun State Representative Harry Osterman (D-14), 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.  And if the closest dealer is 20 miles away, or more, then that’s just too bad.

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.  The next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, February 25. 

Contact your State Representative TODAY and urge him or her to OPPOSE HB 48.