ISRA Weekly Bulletin 2/27

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Executive Directors Message

Bills are being filed so fast in Springfield it seems like a paper blizzard. As I write this, we are watching 254 bills and more could be filed at any time. Most of those bills are in rules; some are, or soon will be, assigned to committees. I know many of you are ready to file witness slips but just because a bill has been assigned to a committee does not mean it will be heard. This time of year, there are hundreds of bills out there. We will tell you when a bill is going to be heard and that will be the time to fill out witness slips. If a bill is not heard, the witness slip will not count. This was not true until the advent of electronic witness slips. When witness slips were filed on paper they were kept, but the days of paper witness slips are history.

Once a bill has been passed out of a committee and on the floor of either the House of Representatives or the Senate, that is the time to call your legislators. Sometimes it can be confusing when bills are amended because witness slips can be used when the amendment is in committee. Don’t worry about it, we will be watching.

Here are three bills which typify what the anti-gun crowd wants to do to gun owners:

HB 2254 would require gun owners to keep their firearms locked up at all times. Of course, there are pretty hefty fines if the police were to ever come to your home and find any firearms that are not locked up. The sponsor of this bill is Kathleen Willis (D-77 Northlake) and co-sponsors are Jonathan Carroll (D-57 Northbrook) and John Conner (D-85 Crest Hill). This bill has been assigned to the House Judicial Criminal Committee.

SB 2468 adds a 10% tax to assault weapons sold by firearm dealers. This of course means criminals are exempt. This bill is still in Rules. The sponsor is Ann Gillespie (D-27 Arlington Heights).

HB 5170 Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17 Glenview) is sponsoring this bill which would require every FOID card holder to have $1,000,000 in liability insurance while at the same time prohibiting domestic insurance companies from offering the coverage. That means that Excess and Surplus Insurance Companies (E&S Companies) would have to offer the coverage. An example you might have heard of would be Lloyd’s of London. What all that means is if the coverage was offered, it would be so expensive that no one except the wealthiest gun owners could afford it. Presently, no company offers such coverage but that is not the point here. The real point is this is the kind of mumbo-jumbo the anti-gun crowd tries to pass the take away your Second Amendment Rights.

In New Mexico, the county sheriffs are refusing to enforce the Red Flag Laws of the state. The Governor has ordered the sheriffs to enforce the law or resign. Here is the big news to the Governor: Sheriffs can arrest anyone, including the Governor. Wouldn’t that be fun.

Secure the date: Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (IGOLD) is Wednesday, April 1, 2020! If you are interested in reserving a seat on a bus to Springfield, please visit this PAGE.