By Mike Keleher
I just got a post card in the mail urging me to contact my Illinois Representative to oppose the contents of House Amendment 1 to House BIll 96 which is currently pending. You can look up your rep easily enough on the internet to call and register your views, and I also decided to take a couple o minutes to write to my Rep’s email address as well. Thought I’d print it here and if you want to copy and paste into your own emails please have at it with my compliments. No sense doing it the hard way and have to write it yourself when a template already exists!
Dear Representative _____
If passed House Amendment 1 to House BIll 96:
The Amendment would increase the cost to obtain an Illinois FOID card (already the strictest requirement in the nation-and demonstrably not helping to prevent crimes) will increase 1000% by mandating fingerprints to apply, renew and requiring renewals every 5 years instead of the current 10 years….it is just a revenue generating move and has no impact upon crime.
It would require applications for FOID be made in person at State Police district offices….to what end? You can vote without ID, but now would have to show your face to make an application to get an ID just to own or touch firearms or ammunition. Again, there is no impact to reduce crime. Criminals who don’t follow the law in the first place with FOID cards and who illegally purchase, possess or use firearms would still be part of your legacy just burdening law abiding citizens and their Constitutionally guaranteed rights.
It would penalize private firearm transfers between family, friends and during hunting and shooting outings-yes, those otherwise law-abiding citizens who own millions of guns, those people who don’t harm anyone, and this amendment would be a de facto government mandated firearm registration program. Registration and restriction of privately-owned firearms has always been a high point in socialist/facist agendas throughout history. Illinois does not need more anti-gun/anti-freedom laws on the books. Residents are fleeing the state at records levels due to the poor stewardship of the state. This amendment smacks of additional bad laws and rules being forced upon the populace.
The Amendment would also mandate police to seize firearms if a FOID is revoked and new paperwork not filed within 48 hours—where else in the state of Illinois are you given 48 hrs from revocation of any rights or privileges until the Government seizes personal property? If your driver’s license is revoked can the ISP come take your car away from you? Or lose your business license, can the state come seize your business? The state has no right to do so.
Personal property is only mentioned twice in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights as specifically protected items- protected from government seizure and abuse. One is in regards to personal papers, the other is firearms. There is a reason the framers put firearms rights in the Second Amendment, because it is important and is of course part of the guarantees well all receive as citizens – rights we don’t have to earn. The government should not be in the business of seizing personal property from citizens for administrative reasons no matter how many TV news headlines show criminals using guns in manners already legislated to be against the law.
I know you may consider voting along Democratic party lines in anti-gun/anti second amendment legislation being proposed, but I urge you to consider voting with your educated mind, which should be mindful of the people you are elected to serve, not the party.
The last poll I saw said 26.2% of all state residents own firearms. I hate to do math, but out of 12.74 million citizens, that is over three million lawful gun owners in Illinois- they are not the problem. Criminals are the problem.
By voting for HA1 to HB96 all you would be doing is burdening those who already faithfully follow the law.
Thank you for your consideration
Mike Keleher
I received that postcard today but already sent in last week on these bills. But these reps already know what’s in the bills. Why restate what they already know, desire and want by any means necessary?
Letters to reps should be, imo, simpler, basic, short and to the point written more along the lines of “Dear Representative __________, Your voting for this bill will show you to have violated your oath to uphold both the US and Illinois Constitutions. Reject all infringements upon the law-abiding citizen’s Constitutional rights. Reject, avoid and disdain with firm prejudice all violations of the people’s civil rights and liberties. Fulfill your sworn duty to uphold our Constitutions. Vote against this bill”
I’ve sent the above in one form or other in emailed letters to my districts “leaders”. I think some emphasis on our reps’ frequent violations of our rights is required since they do violate and burden more than they do not and with great disregard for those Constitutions. They are abusing and corrupting the American system for worse and not better regardless their spoken and written words. Their aims are not true. They need to be called out for undermining our Constitutions, the rule of law and the law-abiding citizen.
Whether you’re polite and courteous or impudent and invidious it won’t matter to these tyrants. They are going to do their will and not what is right nor by the rules/Constitution, nor for the citizen.
This is what the beginning of oppression looks like with these depots in the making, whether they are in Springfield or D.C.
Anyone considering voting Democrat is 2020 is staring into the muzzle of a robber’s weapon that is demanding of you unlawful, unconstitutional burdens and compliances.
Vote against all liberals in 2020! Support NRA, GOA, SAF, GSL, ISRA.
“Dear Representative __________, Your voting for this bill will show you to have violated your oath to uphold both the US and Illinois Constitutions. Reject all infringements upon the law-abiding citizen’s Constitutional rights. Reject, avoid and disdain with firm prejudice all violations of the people’s civil rights and liberties. Fulfill your sworn duty to uphold our Constitutions. Vote against this bill”
I like it. Mike
Mike, be careful with requesting our Illinois State Representatives and Senators to follow their oaths regarding the Illinois State Constitution. Of firearms, the Illinois Constitution says: “Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Sounds kind of good, but “police power” means the government can tell us what to do through the laws they write: ban this or that gun, ammo, and accessory; your FOID shall cost a fortune, with finger and toe prints on file; etc, etc. Infringements to firearm rights of Illinois gun owners are not unconstitutional in Illinois, as long as they are codified into state law (police power). Basically what ever restrictive firearm bill that passes into law in Illinois, is good according to the Illinois Constitution. The Illinois Constitution treats firearm ownership as a privilege, not a right.
OMG that is such a LOL! Asking/requesting your representitive to uphold their oath of office is something to be wary of? Ha! How insipid. Quite the deceptive brainiac or quite the pea brain. I’m not sure. But go ahead and think that perspective. “Subject only to the police power…”. Do you fully understand precisely what that means? It didn’t go very well as far as concealed carry in Illinois, did it? The courts saw to that. 2A remains intact.
The Illinois Constitution is subordinate to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Police power never existed in 1791 if you’re referring to LE. You’d have to review what those who wrote that clause precisely meant by it. I’m suggesting it refers the the states legislative power. If I’m not mistaken it was from the 1970 addendum. It therefore lacks relevance in relation to the 2d Amendment and the Bill of Rights. It would be a great court battle. One that most probably needs to occur and one that most probably could occur.
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land including Illinois and all its infringements (Marbury v Madison). No wonder Democrats attempts to subvert it and revise it and not uphold it.
The recent Federal Judge’s ruling in CA regarding Duncan v Becerra and the CA mag capacity ban will go far in subordinating gun control to the 2d Amendment. Watch the upcoming court battles. But subversives to have a way of subverting laws so i guess we’ll have to see what comes of it. My money is SCOTUS will affirm if the 9th doesn’t sustain. Read the most honorable judge’s 86 page ruling to see how Antis are on infirm, flimsy ground. 2A remains intact.
Preclude tyranny! Support GOA,NRA, SAF, GSL, ISRA! Self defense is a natural human right, a civil right, a Constitutional right. The 2d Amendment secures those rights. The founders were correct. James Madison and not Eric Swalwell. Montesquieu not Marx.
The only reason the democrats are not pushing for a total gun ban is they are not wanting to make it major issue for the 2020 elections. The democrats want to take over the country and destroy “ALL” opposition to their plan to disarm the American people and destroy our country.
The Democrats are pushing for their version of the Kalergi Plan to destroy the values, traditions and faith that founded our nation