As the clock ticks down on this session in the General Assembly (noon on Wednesday is the drop dead deadline, pun intended), gun control groups and politicians are bickering amongst themselves. Some, in fact, are threatening to withhold support of gun and magazine bans because they don’t go far enough.
Yes, plenty of us are overheating our microwave ovens cooking popcorn watching this unfold. It’s quite the poop show… almost like a bunch of circus monkeys flinging pooh back and forth.
I’ll have extra butter for mine.
Senate Bill 2226, was amended in a “gut and replace” maneuver and became the vehicle for what was supposed to be an “acceptable” compromise bill. The only problem for those seeking to outlaw guns and magazines? They didn’t ask the original bill’s sponsor, a strongly pro-gun downstate Democrat (Doris Turner) if she would relinquish control of her bill. She declined to do so and she refused to call it for a vote. Unless Doris Turner relents, that bill is effectively stalled.
The original House Bill 5855 alienated enough in the Senate Democrats that leadership had concerns that some of the Illinois Black Caucus might balk at the onerous penalties of 3-7 years in prison for possession of two magazines over ten rounds. The bill didn’t even have a grace period for existing owners. It has gone nowhere.
And this weekend, Senate Democrats came out with a new “gut and replace” amendment to House Bill 5471. This latest incarnation does not require gun registration for existing owners of prohibited guns and allows grandfathering of existing magazines. Furthermore, magazine capacity limits became 5 rounds for semi-auto shotguns, 10 rounds for semi-auto rifles and 15 rounds for semi-auto pistols.
Those “compromises” don’t sit well with Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has spent the last few days in Springfield lobbying for passage of the bill. In fact, Pritzker has spent almost as much time in Springfield in the past week than he spent there in all the days of 2022 put together.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) January 8, 2023
The Speaker of the House Chris Welch didn’t like the changes either, suggesting he wouldn’t support the watered down gun and magazine ban.
As Speaker of the House I will stand firm in our values and principles as Democrats. I will fight for the needs of Illinoisans, & I will not accept a watered-down version of legislation that falls unacceptably short of the comprehensive solutions the people of this state deserve. pic.twitter.com/i4Lym8SAGn
— Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (@RepChrisWelch) January 8, 2023
Meanwhile the harpies over at Brady, Everytown and Giffords have banned together (pun intended) to promote the more radical bill.
Everytown, Giffords, Brady Call on Illinois Senate Lawmakers to Pass Strong and Enforceable Assault Weapons Prohibition, Part of Critical Protect Illinois Communities Act
Nevermind that the bill they want passed, SB2226, is tied up by the pro-gun original sponsor who won’t allow it to be called for a vote. And that HB5855 is about as dead as Elvis.
On Monday morning, Senate Democrats threw out a new “gut and replace” amendment to House Bill 5471. At first blush, the registry is not only included in this one, but requires not only the serial number (deemed a bridge too far by some of the Senate Democrats just a couple of days ago) but also make and model for gun owners wishing to register them so they could keep them. At least until the gun control contingent comes back next year with a bill to close the “existing owner” loophole.
So, it’s quite the poop show in the Land of Lincoln’s capital. Sunday night, after returning to Springfield, the Senate didn’t call it for a vote.
Regardless of which bill passes, our legal team will be there waiting for them with open arms.
Enjoy your popcorn, folks.
Thanks for the update! Still planning on moving out of state as fast as I can.
Thank you for the updates and the confirmation that ‘they’ want to take as big a bite out of our rights as possible. Then come back for the rest later.
why do they think criminals will obey this law, when they break other laws all time. this does nothing but hurt law-abiding gun owners.
Doris Turner is pro-gun, but sponsored one of these bills? How is she pro gun?
Just read that in 2020 there were over 11,000 killed nationally in drunk-driving related accidents.
Yet, none of these fools have any desire to ban alcohol or file lawsuits against the manufacturers of alcohol.
Their two faces are sickening.
She isn’t. She’s a Springfield democrat every bit as anti-gun as any other Chicago democrat.
Mr. Boch, you seem pretty nonplussed about all this. Do you know something that we don’t?
Why am I not running around with my hair on fire.
1. This is looking a lot less like a sure thing. Nothing we’re doing… it’s the Dems bickering back and forth and personality issues.
2. We have a GREAT legal team already working on drafting lawsuits.
3. I have a lot of faith in the courts.
Doris Turner is in no way pro-gun. She spent most of her life beclowning herself on the Springfield City Council pimping for her east side residents. She is as virulently anti-gun as every Chicago democrat you can name.
Maybe her position as “evolved” as she no longer represents just the east side of Springfield. Either way, she’s placed a giant roadblock in front of gun control all by her lonesome.
Even if one of these bills is passed and signed into law, it will be stopped by the first lawsuit. Not only does it violate the Second Amendment, it violates the Fifth and 14th Amendments. And probably a couple more that I am ignorant of. It is like they looked at the Constitution and decided to violate as many rights a possible. This is great for our side as we ultimately win in court. In a dark way, I wonder if the sponsors want it to fail so they can say they tried. It almost seems designed to fail.
I have not talked to John in a month or so, I will see him tonight at the Sangamon Guns Save Life meeting. Since he and I think alike, I would guess he is “nonplussed”, ie he is not too worried for the reasons that I mentioned above.
The big problem is that we are rolling the dice on whether or not to comply with this nonsense. I have a pile of magazines that would fall under these bills, and would have to decide to either permanently alter them within 90 days of enactment, send them all to another state, or destroy them. There is no guidance whatsoever on what constitutes a permanent modification. Some of these are 40 years old for guns no longer made. There are no 10 round alternatives for these guns.
If the state chose to make an example of us, you could easily lose your rights to own any gun forever – not just the ones on the banned list. I have quite a few of those too.
Unless we get an injunction against this garbage immediately, I have to make some very unpalatable decisions on what to do. Meanwhile, Johnny Gangbanger in Chicago isn’t going to give up his Glock, Glock switch, or 33 round magazines, and he sure as hell isn’t going to register anything.
BTW, if put into law, no one will obey it and on one will enforce it. Chicago has a written policy to not refer “straw man” purchases to the ATF probably because the feds would actually arrest people and throw the book at their constituents. After all, criminals are a large part of their constituents.
John- As long as the lawyers will be busy filing suits against this stupidity, how about they add to that a suit challenging the unconstitutional $150 fee for a CC license? There is no judge that would allow such a fee for the right to vote. There is no difference for 2A rights either, and there was no such requirement in 1791.
Even better, have the suit request a refund of the fees we’ve had to pay up to this point.
So, the scuminess of our ‘leaders’ continues, HB5471 passes the Senate and now goes to the House tomorrow for reconciliation. Will they pass it? Herr Welch and the Corpulent One both don’t like the ‘compromise’. Some compromise – they gave us back 5 rounds on our handgun magazines, and no felony for possessing large cap mags but only extremely limited usage (home, private property, range, transport). Petty offense and $1000 fine for getting caught with the evil magazine anyplace else.
The law itself just hosed any concealed carry using a handgun with more than 15 rounds (I personally carry an FN Five-Seven). Not the first time they pass contradictory laws. Doubt they even considered the conflict.
Registration is even worse than before on guns – serial number, model, make now. Clear violation of GCA68. Even the feds cannot maintain such information legally (they have been caught digitizing Blue Book records, so they don’t follow the laws either). Register by 10/1/23, or forfeit your guns. No way ISP will be ready for this by then – they have said as much.
We will need immediate injunctions against these ‘laws’.
Why do you assume people are going to register anything with ISP, especially if there is a fee involved?
And if there is no fee, I personally will “register” many guns that do not exist, with names of people that do not exist.