House Bill 265 also remains on the calendar for Third Reading. This bill, introduced by state Representative John Bradley (D-117), would ensure there is a statewide standard for lawfully transporting firearms. This would eliminate a patchwork of conflicting standards that do nothing to fight crime, but serve only to ensnare otherwise law-abiding gun owners who have no idea they have crossed an imaginary boundary that has suddenly made their transportation of a firearm illegal, when moments before it was completely legal.
Also still on Third Reading is House Bill 264, also introduced by Representative Bradley, that would prohibit municipalities from requiring anything more than a Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID) for possessing a firearm.
Unfortunately, there are still anti-gun bills that are also poised for a vote. House Bill 1871, introduced by state Representative Carol Sente (D-59), seeks to ban standard-capacity magazines that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. This legislation remains on the Calendar for Third Reading.
Another anti-gun bill on Third Reading is House Bill 1296, introduced by state Representative Harry Osterman (D-14), that would ban most private transfers of firearms and require such transfers to be processed through a licensed firearm dealer.
Representative Osterman is also pushing House Bill 3634, which would put new restrictions on how one may lawfully transport a firearm. The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a compartment with a latch in a vehicle satisfies the state requirement that a lawfully transported firearm must be unloaded and “enclosed in a case” on two occasions. The first, People v. Diggins, came in 2009 and dealt with a front seat center console. The second, People v. Holmes, was filed yesterday and dealt with a storage compartment in the backseat. Representative Osterman’s bill seeks to change the law to remove such compartments from being considered legal storage for transportation. HB 3634 is currently on Second Reading in the House.
Please contact your State Representative and urge him or her to support HB 148, HB 264, and HB 265, and to oppose HB 1296, HB 1871, and HB 3634. To locate your state Representative’s contact information, please click here.
House Bill 3500 passed in the state House on Third Reading today by an overwhelming 98 to 12 vote. This legislation, introduced by state Representative Richard Morthland (R-71), was introduced as a preemption bill, but was amended to reform the Freedom of Information Act to ensure that the personal information of people who have applied for or received a Firearm Owners Identification Card shall not be disclosed unless it is necessary as part of a criminal investigation. HB 3500 became necessary after anti-gun Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued an opinion stating the Illinois State Police (ISP) must release the personal information of every law-abiding gun owner in Illinois to the Associated Press (AP). The AP had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for this information. The ISP maintains this information in the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card database since the mid-1960s, and this material has been considered confidential and not subject to release ever since. The bill now moves to the Senate, so please contact your state Senator and urge him or her to support HB 3500. To locate your state Senator’s contact information, please click here.
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