by John Boch
GSL Executive Director
Ladies and gentlemen, life is good. In fact, life is great.
Our side is using the Bruen Supreme Court decision as a wrecking ball against gun control measures across the nation. Gun restrictions new and old have fallen to challenges everywhere from California to Texas to New York State.
Sure, some politicians such as in New Jersey and New York have busied themselves passing new, unconstitutional gun laws. And in the case of New York State, days later a judge pretty much gutted their new “Concealed Carry Improvement Act.”
Yes, our side is using the Bruen case like the abortion advocates used Roe v. Wade for close to fifty years.
Red Flags
We had Judge Forbes at the Decatur meeting and we all learned a lot in his quick and dirty description of court orders. We learned why there are so few Red Flag orders entered – in short because the law was poorly written and better tools exist within existing laws. That’s good for well-meaning authorities in legitimate cases where a person is a bona fide danger to the community. That’s not a good thing for you if you spent good money on a legal defense policy that covers Red Flag hearings. Because, if you get served with a court order to surrender your guns, it probably won’t be a “Red Flag” proceeding and your legal defense coverage won’t pay for your attorney.
New meetings.
GSL has two relatively new events each month, one in LaSalle County and one in Lake County. We’re moving the LaSalle meeting to Utica at Jamie’s Outpost, and to the Second Thursday of the month (and the meeting program time to 7pm).
Sundays were tough for many, and the previous location saw an series of issues we were unable to work out with the management/ownership.
Lake County proved a great new place for all those folks on the north side of Chicago. We’ve got some improvements slated for next month.
Where next? Probably Kankakee early next year.
Getting Results.
Everyone likes results. And our efforts both behind the scenes and when that fails, in the court of public opinion, has garnered some results in the last few weeks.
First off, the Cook County Forest Preserve people seem to have put their heads down and shut their mouths after GSL investigated their claims (threats?) that they would arrest any CCW holders packing on their properties. A federal court ruled last year that the blanket ban on their properties is unconstitutional.
When back-channel communications failed, I drove a D-9 dozer through their front door with national publicity about their threats and a threat of our own to help CCW holders reach deep into the Forest Preserve’s pockets with Section 1983 federal civil rights actions.
Score one for the good guys.
You want to know who else felt the sting from GSL and state and national publicity? Governor Pritzker and the Illinois State Police (ISP) FOID unit.
See, the ISP has worked overtime to send out reams of FOID revocation letters.
Now those caught up in wrongfully revoked FOIDs are supposed to have an option of submitting an appeal to the FOID Review Board. Only J.B. Pritzker hadn’t nominated any members.
Of course, without nominations, there can be no members. Without members you cannot have a quorum and without a quorum, you can’t do business. That’s a feature to ol’ moneybags Pritzker, not a bug.
Anyway, I mentioned it in a radio interview and a day or two later an Illinois news service picked up the story and it ran state-wide.
Suddenly, the ISP’s director stopped dodging Rep. Dan Caulkins’ calls and requests for a meeting as he had done for months. And months. In fact, Director Kelly not only found the Rep’s phone number, but he called him wanting a meeting ASAP. And in the last couple of days, I’ve learned that Governor P. has finally made nominations to the FOID review board.
Score another one for the good guys.
Governor Jelly Bean’s nominees aren’t not exactly Second Amendment scholars, but that’s okay. The FOID isn’t going to be around much longer.
Buyback success.
Oh yeah, our members also took a bunch of guns to Chicago’s most recent “buyback” and brought home another $1000 for youth shooting programs.
Score another one for gun owners. Are you getting tired of winning yet? I’m not.
FOID repeal.
Our FOID challenge lawsuit is picking up steam. Not only are final briefs due in November on our motion to have the FOID Act struck down as unconstitutional under Bruen, but my deposition with the Illinois Attorney General’s office is slated for November 1st. Yeah, I can hardly wait.
If the circuit court judge follows Supreme Court precedent, I expect we’ll get our order striking the FOID Act. Either way it will head for the appellate court and then the Illinois Supreme Court. I predict we’ll win at the Supremes.
A few things will then happen. All these folks who have been revoked for the thinnest of reasons will be able to possess firearms. Marijuana dispensaries will be stripped of product because of the gun haters needing something to cope with the loss of the FOID Act. And lastly, those needing some professional mental health treatment for a host of issues including depression and suicide will be able to seek treatment without losing their rights.
Yes, it’s a great time to be alive. A long overdue fundamental shift in national public policy on guns and gun rights is coming right before our eyes.