IL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Two words… “oh brother”

You read at Guns Save Life in the past couple of weeks how we’re applying pressure to the Illinois Senate – particularly individual downstate Democrat Senators. (1 2)

The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action put out an alert to Illinois Gun Owners last week, urging them to call their state legislators to raise Cain about pro-gun and pro-hunting bills being held up by the Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.

Illinois: Your Legislators Need to Hear From You on Pro-Gun and Pro-Hunting Legislation

During the 2015 session, your NRA-ILA has patiently waited for the Illinois General Assembly to move bills and address certain issues of concern to our members and gun owners.  However, not a single pro-gun bill has received a hearing, vote or chance to be debated on the floor of the Senate.  This is unacceptable.  It is important that you reach out and tell your legislators to move forward on pro-hunting and pro-Second Amendment measures.  Some of these measures include:

Senate Bill 803 and its companion bill, House Bill 433, will legalize the use of firearm sound suppressors while hunting.  SB 803 and HB 433 will provide numerous benefits to hunters who choose to use suppressors while hunting.  These benefits include the decrease of noise complaints frequently used as an excuse to close hunting lands throughout the country, the lessening of recoil and muzzle rise resulting in increased accuracy of hunters, and the reduction in muzzle report to hearing-safe levels, limiting the risk that the hunter or anyone with the hunter will suffer permanent hearing loss if they fail to use hearing protection.

The NRA-ILA is also working behind the scenes, as is Guns Save Life to break the log jam.

Frankly, our success thus far has been marginal at best.  We have influenced some key people, but it hasn’t been the results we were seeking – not by a long shot.

After a little meeting last Thursday afternoon/evening between Senate President John Cullerton and downstate Democrat senators, Democrats sent the NRA’s guy in Springfield a 100+ page Amendment to clean up minor, innocuous issues.

You want an example:  to allow out of state individuals to buy long-guns at Sparta during the Amateur Trapshooting Association Grand American event and other official events at Sparta.

And guess what:  The anti-gun folks in Illinois – groups like the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and some of the smaller, even more irrelevant amateur hour gun control groups – are opposing this cleanup bill / amendment.

Why are they opposed to this proposal?

Because they claim the criminal element will take advantage of this proposed “loophole” to buy (future crime) guns.

We never said they were rational, reasonable or employed common sense in their activism.  In fact, common sense seems to be an endangered species at 223 W Jackson Blvd # 802 in Chicago (see photo below).

Note, there’s no “NO GUNS” sign on the front door to the building.

How ironic, right?

I mean, after all, someone could walk right in with a gun and cause havoc at the ICHV’s office, right?  A “no guns” sign would preclude that from happening, according to their so-called logic and mindset.

We’re surprised the brave employees at ICHV would ever consider having an office in a building where they would share space in the hallway with someone carrying a gun, given their belief that said gun owner could “snap” at any moment and go berserk.

Even though that doesn’t happen each and every day among over twelve million Americans with carry licenses, and millions more in states that don’t require licenses to carry.