by John Boch
Executive Director
The General Assembly has ended their Spring session so the onslaught of cray cray in new legislation has paused. That’s good news.
LITIGATION.
We expect things to start breaking loose in the next couple of months both in the FOID case and the PICA gun & magazine ban cases, just to name a few of many.
Obviously the federal challenges to JB Pritzker’s new gun ban have the potential to impact your life. Months ago, I thought we would have an easy win at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Boy, was I naïve.
For now at least, it all comes down to the three-judge panel we draw on the hearing for preliminary injunctive relief. If we get Frank Easterbrook and a couple of like-minded jurists like Diane Wood (I wouldn’t), we could be playing defense for months longer.
Todd Vandermyde and I spent some time on the phone on Father’s Day researching the Seventh Circuit and it’s evenly split between Constitutionalists and those who don’t have a lot of love for the Second Amendment. No doubt Kwame and Pritzker have done the same research too.
Bottom line: We’re going to be hip-deep in appeals for months – maybe even until next Spring in the US Supreme Court no matter who wins this next round.
Meanwhile the state case involving State Rep. Dan Caulkins at the Illinois State Supreme Court also has the potential to impact our lives very soon.
How so? Well, enforcement of the PICA gun and magazine ban has effectively been put on hold by the Macon County ruling from March. Sure, Kwame and JB Pritzker have pretty much ignored it or dismissed the Macon County ruling publicly, but behind the scenes no state police officer or public official is going to arrest someone for a law adjudicated unconstitutional.
That’s right: it wasn’t just benevolence that led the IDNR to publicly announce that people could still use an AR to hunt coyotes on public lands or semi-auto shotguns with long magazines to hunt geese. It’s because no cop was going to jam himself (or herself) up by making an arrest for violating a struck-down PICA gun ban.
All that will change when the Illinois Supreme Court reverses that lower-court decision. The kinder-gentler ISP will become much more aggressive unless we have a federal court injunction blocking enforcement for all.
In fact, without a federal injunction, I’d look for ISP to make some examples of a few of the shops that have sold banned guns since Jan. 10th and a few of those who purchased them.
Don’t let your FOID expire!
What else do my fellow gun owners have to worry about? Don’t let your FOID card expire. The COVID rules ended when Pritzker didn’t renew his final emergency decree. Now, you must have a valid FOID card in your possession to have guns and ammo legally.
If your FOID expires, expect to get a “firearms disposition form” in the mail demanding a list of your guns’ makes, models and serial numbers and what you did with them. If you don’t respond promptly, expect a “firearm enforcement team” to knock on your door to “bring you into compliance” by re-homing your guns.
Nobody wants that.
Got braced guns?
If you’ve got a braced pistol, the “grace” period to register them has closed. It looks like some Illinois residents are getting “disapproval” letters giving them 60 days to resubmit their Form 1 applications to include a copy of their C&R FFL licenses and their valid FOID cards. Other times, some of the same people are getting approvals for other guns. Why it’s almost like it depends on whether or not applicants get a gun-hater evaluating their Form 1 application or not.
For those who didn’t register their braced guns – and that’s most people – there are two things you need to do to protect yourself, your dog and your family.
To protect yourself from the feds (otherwise known as BATF), you need to become a member of the Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition or Gun Owners of America. Preliminary injunctions from federal courts block ATF from enforcing Biden’s new rule against the members of these groups.
Don’t be an imprudent fool. If you get arrested with one of these guns, you’ll spent $20k-30k for a retainer for an attorney and you may still gain a felony conviction and prison time. You can avoid all that with a $20-30 membership.
On the state side, Illinois law requires anyone with a short-barreled rifle to have a Curios & Relics FFL. Those are $30 for three years and easier to apply for than a FOID card. Again, if you catch a state charge on this, expect to pay $20k-30k just for the retainer and you may still catch a felony. Or you can avoid all that with $30 for a C&R license.
Life is hard. It’s harder if you’re stupid. Don’t be stupid.
No, I don’t see BATF coming to homes to do inspections/confiscations. However, if yours is stolen and you report it, or if you are subjected to an order of protection or Red Flag order, if police find it you could be arrested. Or if you have a car crash and cops inventory the car, all the sudden your life just got exciting.
Take a few minutes and spend a few bucks to stay legal.
IL Judicial Inquiry Board
By the way: Be sure to submit your complaint to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board over the two new Supreme Court Justices who received nearly $2M each towards their campaigns from three of the named defendants in Caulkins’ case. Those complaints are creating quite the poopstorm behind the scenes.
This is an opportunity for you as an individual to hold our betters fully accountable to the rule of law.
I will be watching for any ISP officer that as you said, makes an example of someone and be sure to expose the Republicans that voted for HB2722 to give the ISP even MORE of your money to carry these things out. So yes John, this “ONE BILL” has a lot of action behind it. And it is AGAINST the people. The GOP raises money off of gun owners promising to protect the 2A then goes to Springfield and votes for bills that enable, yes ENABLE Democrat gun control laws that are anti-citizen and anti-business. So in reality, the Republicans make bank and string voters along only to lay the groundwork to harm Illinois residents. They claim to support gun owners and small businesses yet in reality, actions speak louder than words. So whenever you hear “back the blue” from them just take it as code words for “thanks for your vote and btw SCREW YOU.”
I read your reply to my question on the Bloomington Police “gun safe” giveaway fiasco and you replied:
Jboch, I think the option is to contact our GOP elected officials and tell them they are out of touch and behind the times – what a shocker, Republicans behind the times. Then if they don’t “modernize” their positions start emailing any state Libertarian Party people and tell them what a wide opening the Uniparty has gifted to them. Here in Illinois, we have basically automatic Democrat statewide control, thus giving unhappy Republican voters more options. It’s not like we are in a swing state where the difference between D and R is a few hundred votes. Libertarian is essentially “none of the above” meaning, I am SICK AND TIRED of the lessor of two evils. That’s a start. But to this “one bill” the Republicans support. Well that ONE BILL funds the carrying out of just another ONE BILL called an “assault weapon” ban. Like I’ve told my GOP state senator a few times now, this AWB law changes everything. NOTE: I am not a Libertarian trying to take advantage here. I am a free American disgusted that THE PEOPLE are always the ones thrown under the bus. The Republicans often help the Dems do that. So this one bill of HB2722 shows how the GOP has betrayed us and granted, many Republicans are so blinded by this “back the blue” BS they may not even realize. WELL I DO
Thank you for the reply.
I’d rather work with a support Republicans who ardently and enthusiastically support gun rights. People like Dan Caulkins, Chris Miller, Jed Davis and similar folks to are working to winch the Illinois Republican party bus from the ditch after the establishment folks drunkenly drove it into the ditch in their feckless attempt to appeal to so-called “moderates.”
Meanwhile, the Libertarians struggle to even make it to the ballot. If it makes you feel better to “punish” Republicans by voting Libertarian, more power to you. However, I believe an equally valid way of looking at doing so is to say that voting Libertarian is “throwing your vote away.” In fact, I’d say staying at home and not voting would be a lot easier and equally productive, while saving gas and time.
And, speaking from experience, guys, DO BUY THAT SELF-DEFENSE INSURANCE. Any kind is better than none.
If you pull your pistol in self-defense, you WILL BE CHARGED, and it doesn’t matter what really happened or what the truth is, you are going to be bent over and fawked.
And if you think paying your property taxes sucks, wait’ll you write that $20,000 check to some scum-sucking monopolist called a “law-yer,” who’ll be required to keep you from being anally-rayped for the term of your stay with the state.
GET THE INSURANCE. ANY BRAND. Or you may regret it.
p.s. you guys know that I’m critical AF. Allow me to break with tradition and say, “Mr. Boch, I absolutely LOVE your new site’s layout and functionality. And, allow me to say, you’re becoming a very good writer!” Keep up the good work.
I know it might seem like I never agree with Ken, but that’s not true. More often than not he’s spot on (at least when he’s playing nicely). And in this case, he’s VERY correct about the insurance.
Thank you for the kudos on the website redesign. As you can tell I’m putting a lot more scare time into it. Thanks again.
Yes!! Even pulling up your shirt to expose your conceal carry, “to frighten away an attacker” will potentially/most definitely get you arrested. Especially on publicly owned properties, ie street or sidewalk. Let alone, brandishing the firearm in full display, coming to low/high ready or pointing it at a target.
I recommend conceal carry insurance, #1. Also, when carrying I have used a body cam (go-pro, cellphone recording on a belt clip, small camera) when entering a crowded public place, or venue where concern is raised or just at all times. Like a dashcam.
If confronted and alone always try to exfil as priority. Do not chase any attacker if they attempt to flee. Maintain your distance and use verbal commands constantly.
Protect yourself and your family.
Looks like the ISP is gearing up for an onslaught of attacks against law abiding people and businesses rather than going after actual criminals. Of course this kind of Gestapo behavior is to be expected from the ATF. It says a lot about a cop and the agency they work for when they knowingly make plans against people they 100% know pose zero criminal threat to anyone.
AND………….all of these “pro-2A” Republicans must be called out on their blanket “back the blue” BS. We are going into a time where “back the blue” is code language for SCREW YOU to the gun owners that have many times, blindly supported the GOP thinking that party is on our side.
I don’t have much hope for a proper decision following the law, Heller vs. District of Columbia and NYSRPA vs. Breun. These cases will be going to the USSC in the spring 2024 session. 2024 in the USSC will be known as the year of the gun. I believe the communists know their goose is cooked, this is about playing out the string. The Illinois cases, above any others nationwide, are prime for certiorari. The arrogance of the state legislature and JB has ultimately doomed gun control in this country.
https://home.chicagopolice.org/bethechange/chicago-police-officer-recruitment/
The Illinois administrations goal for Illinois is to:
1. disarm the legal citizens.
2. Create a new “illegal immigrant” police force. A force of armed foreign nationals on our sovereign territory, that is directly under the command of the Democrat Party to enforce their “laws”. The Chicago police force already has no citizenship requirements. As shown in the link above. One of the few and largest police forces nationwide.