The major gun rights groups in Illinois continue to work together to push Illinois' suppressor bill over the finish line and get it signed into law.  Last session's "gun muffler" bill passed both the Illiniois House and Senate, but died lacking a concurrance vote in the Senate.  A new bill introduced this session by Democrat WIlliam Haine, SB-50, has attracted the attention of gun grabber groups nationwide.  These groups, desperately seeking a win, have made this new Illinois suppressor bill a cause célèbre. 

Not only are lobbyists and representatives of the three major gun rights groups in Illinois – The National Rifle Association, The Illinois State Rifle Association and Guns Save Life working shoulder to shoulder to advance gun rights, but other groups are assisting.  The American Suppressor Association's Knox Williams came in to bring valuable knowledge and expertise.  Also the National Shooting Sports Foundation is also throwing in support as well.

Legislative Update:  What's Happening?

The legislative process in Illinois is sort of like a giant Swiss watch, with lots of moving parts that don't always move in a predictable fashion.  Today's committee hearing for SB-50 got cancelled due to a flurry of last-minute budget wheeling-dealing. 

Before that happened though, the national gun control groups took notice of the bill.  Seeing a deep blue state, they believed they could make this an easy "win" for them. 

Gun control took quite a drubbing in November.  Their favorite party lost a bunch more seats at every level of government across America.  Nevada's gun control referendum proved the only real "meaningful" win Bloomberg and friends got in November.    That expensive, $20 million win got snatched from the jaws of victory thanks to poor writing which left it unenforceable.  

Now, with Donald Trump in the White House and nominating all manner of pro-gun, freedom-loving cabinet heads, would-be gun grabbers know their cause is in trouble.  To make matters worse for them, Supreme Court nomination(s) are next, along with a hundred plus other federal judicial nominations coming soon. 

Gun grabbers need a win badly.   Illinois has become the Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium in World War II.  Gun grabber groups with billionaire sugar daddies are making a big push to score a victory by blocking this common sense legislation.  Gun groups without billionaire sugar daddies (Gabby Giffords' ARS, the Brady Campaign, The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, and the back benchers) are all clinging to life (and fighting over dwindling funds).  They need a win to sustain funding.  Without the largess of wealthy hoplophobes, they will fold.  And they need to show results to bring in the money.

Senate Bill 50 Status

SB-50's got a (tentative) February 8th date in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  We'll let you know when you can start filing your witness slips.

As I mentioned earlier, Everytown and other anti-gunners sounded the alarm nationally on the bill.  We've always enjoyed burying the other side in witness slips to help advance controversial bills through committees, however the other side is learning.

Here's the email sent out by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (desperately needing a victory to help maintain their funding stream!).  Look…  Do you see anything that looks familiar?

Next Wednesday at 9am the Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee is considering legislation that would legalize the possession of silencers for all guns in Illinois.

Despite over 700 gun deaths in Chicago in 2016 – the Senate is NOT taking up legislation to save lives  – instead standing with the pro-gun lobby.  This dangerous legislation will NOT save lives of Illinois residents – it will only silence the sound of the gunfire plaguing our communities.

Make your voice heard TODAY – please call and email your State Senator and tell them to vote NO on SB 50 then file and witness slip expressing your opposition to the bill (see instructions below).

Thank you in advance for taking action.  Please share this request with all your networks.

To find your state Senator, please click: http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

To call your state Senator, click: http://www.ilga.gov/senate/

 

OPPOSE SB50

Witness Slips Needed 

SB50, the Silencer Bill, has been posted for Criminal Law Committee on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, at 9:00am, in Room 400.

How to file a witness slip:

 Log on to the ILGA Dashboard at my.ilga.gov

Click on "Senate", click on "Committee Hearings"

Under the Scheduled Senate Committee Hearings, click on "Week"

Click on the "Criminal Law" button (under view hearing details)

Click on the Create Witness Slip Button

I. IDENTIFICATION: Enter your personal information. Enter "NA" for the Firm/Business or Agency and Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization.

II. REPRESENTATION: Enter "Myself" unless representing an organization.

III. POSITION: Unless instructed otherwise for a particular bill leave the description field at its default value "Original Bill". Indicate your position by selecting the "Opponent" button. 

IV. TESTIMONY: Select the "Record of Appearance Only" button.

If filing manually, complete the Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.

Then click Create Slip.

 

In Peace,

Mark Walsh

Yep, they are getting hip to replicating some of our effective techniques.

Senator John "Stonewall" Cullerton

At the same time, we have been stonewalled by Senate President John Cullerton.  At the present time, this bill may well be the only pro-gun bill allowed onto the Senate floor this session.  This isn't our choice or decision.  It's all John Cullerton. 

We, as lobbyists, have failed to convince Cullerton to give us a free and fair vote for our bills.  We, as gun owners, have failed to properly motivate Senate Democrats to move John Cullerton off his blockade of pro-gun bills.

What's more, we have pro-gun majorities in the Illinois House and Senate by the thinnest of margins.  Our governor, generally thought pro-gun, has never been tested.  The NRA, ISRA and GSL work hard to make sure we don't have a bad bill land on the governor's desk.

We can count on the reintroduction of dealer licensing this session – which as we learned from last session really means gun rights rationing.  "Rationing?" you ask.  You bet, with perhaps as few as 9 transfers per year.  Buy a gun?  That counts as one.  Sell a gun?  That counts as another.  Trade guns?  That counts as two in their eyes as written into their proposal from last year.  What else?  Oh, there's mountains of gun dealer regulation and bureaucracy, and fees to dealers.  Lots and lots of fees to help drive dealers out of business.  Of course, the big box stores are exempted.  For now.  What's more, you can count on dealer licensing getting a floor vote in the Senate.

Then there's the Gun Violence Restraining Order – otherwise known as "Disarm your Domestic Violence Victim" legislation.  That's right…  if you're an abusive spouse, you can appeal to a court to strip the gun rights away from your victim so she (or he) can't shoot you the next time you decide to beat them for breathing wrong.  And let's not forget the in-laws who don't like how their daughter married someone with icky guns.  That bill will get a Senate vote too.

Yes, Cullerton says he'll give us a vote on a measure like allowing non-resident military members to apply for a carry license or remove a prohibited location or two, but only if it's part of a "grand bargain" to give gun control groups something like dealer licensing schemes, semi-auto bans, mag bans or a "Disarm your Domestic Partner Domestic Violence Victim" schemes.  Sorry, that's not going to fly.

That's the ugly truth.  It's reality.

What we face:  Anti-gun "activism"

Legislators told us today that they are getting hammered by the "Moms" and the Everytown for Gun Control members. 

These guys' and gals' phones are ringing.  (Yes, they acknowledge the calls are from outside their districts, but still…)  They are getting office visits ad nauseum – almost to the point they are avoiding unknown "surprise" visitors.  These legislators – primarily Democrat Senators – are getting a steady stream of contact from small gaggles of gun control advocates.  What's more, no longer are we burying the anti-gunners 10 to 1 on witness slips.  Instead, they almost signed up more opposition slips on SB-50 than we had proponents before the hearing got cancelled.

In short, they are beating us at our own game.  Yeah, it's taking gun controllers from across the nation to beat us in Illinois, but a loss is a loss. 

What we also face:  Sideliners

We're also dealing with some who want to sit this out.  They don't think they have a dog in this fight or they don't want to be leaders.  They think supporting suppressors will drive off their FUDD members.

Some of these sideliners think the Second Amendment is a magic talisman.  That sure has worked for Californians, hasn't it?

Others think we should only support "clean" bills.  If we did this we wouldn't have a shall issue carry law in Illinois.  But we could sleep well (without any reasonable hope of getting a California-style "may issue" license in most of the state) knowing we only supported a "clean" Constitutional Carry bill.

Even worse than the sideliners are those who are sniping at the people doing the lion's share of the work, working shoulder to shoulder with fellow gun rights leaders. 

We're not naming names at the present time, but we're holding back only because we hope these individuals will join with us towards the common goal.  Fair warning though:  Our leash is becoming frayed.

What we need:  Senator Scott Bennett to feel the heat

Champaign and Vermillion County serves as the home base for Senator Scott Bennett.  He campaigned as an NRA A-rated candidate for Illinois' 52nd Senate District.  He's quick to remind people of his pro-gun rating.  But he's not supporting SB-50.  You can't be pro-gun if you don't vote pro-gun.  You don't keep NRA A-ratings by voting against common sense gun law reforms like legalizing mufflers for guns.

He needs to hear from his constituents.

Working shoulder to shoulder

We – NRA, ISRA, and GSL are going to need our members, friends and supports to work hard, with persistence and a loud, unified voice this session.  We'll need to be vocal.  

Guns Save Life is with the NRA-ILA.  ISRA stands with NRA-ILA as well.  The American Suppressor Association and NSSF are chipping in valuable support as well. 

We don't live and work in a perfect world.  As one of GSL commenters wrote a while back, while it would be nice to live in a world of rainbows and unicorns, sometimes we have to settle with some Lucky Charms.

With that in mind, remember, sooner or later Illinois' shrinking Democrat Party will need gun owners and our support, especially downstate and increasingly in the suburbs.  Don't give up.  Hound them.  Be persistent and persuasive, just like rust.  And remember there are more than a few pro-gun Democrats out there.  Ones like this one:

Trust me, between NRA, ISRA and GSL, we'll be spending time in Springfield so you don't have to.  But we will need you to support us by making calls, writing letter and emails and…

And don't forget to mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 5th for the Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day event.  We will have to remind Illinois Democrats (and a couple of squishy Republicans) that Illinois gun owners haven't gone away just because Illinois passed right-to-carry in 2013.