On May 31st the Illinois state Senate voted to concur Senate Bill 337, which would establish a firearm registry and shut down your local gun stores with onerous red tape and regulations, as well as Senate Bill 3256, which would expand the 72 hour waiting period to all firearms. These two bills will now head to Governor Bruce Rauner’s desk, where they will join House Bill 2354, which would allow Second Amendment rights to be revoked without due process. Please contact Governor Rauner and urge him to VETO SB 337, SB 3256, and HB 2354. Click the “Take Action” button below and call 217-782-0244 to contact Governor Rauner.
Senate Bill 337, as amended by Representative Kathleen Willis (D-77), was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 35-20. It would direct the state police to create an electronic transaction form for firearm transfers, which would amount to a registry. This solution in search of a problem will not only waste taxpayer funded resources, but it would also not improve public safety. Criminals, by definition, do not obey the law, and acquire the vast majority of their firearms illegally such as by theft, on the black market, or by straw purchase. A registry would not affect criminals as it could only include lawful transactions. The only purpose that firearm registries serve is to facilitate future confiscations of firearms from those who currently own them legally.
Senate Bill 3256, as amended by Representative Jonathan Carroll (D-57), was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 40-10. It would also expand the 72 hour waiting period to all firearms. In addition, it would eliminate the current waiting period exemption for nonresidents attending gun shows in Illinois. Current Illinois law requires a 72 hour waiting period for handguns and a 24 hour waiting period for long guns. Waiting periods are an archaic relic from before the digital age, since they were originally meant to give local law enforcement time to complete background checks. Since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) came into operation in 1998, technology has allowed background checks to be done instantly, activating the law that eliminated the federally required waiting periods.
House Bill 2354, sponsored by Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77), was passed by the Senate with a vote of 43-11. It would allow for the issuance of protective orders to infringe on Second Amendment rights based on third party allegations with little, if any, real evidence and limited “due process” for the respondent. Hearings for the orders would be ex parte, where the respondent is not present to challenge the accuser and defend against allegations made against them. The issuance of an order would immediately prohibit the respondent from exercising their Second Amendment rights. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted consistent with the constitutional requirements of due process.
Further, for truly dangerous individuals, this bill does nothing to incapacitate the subjects of the orders, as there is no requirement that they receive mental health treatment.
Again, please click the “Take Action” button above and call 217-782-0244 to urge Governor Rauner to VETO SB 337, SB 3256, and HB 2354.
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