Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

It’s just a (gun) bill

Posted in:

Illinois

* HB 492’s synopsis…

Repeals the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

There are no co-sponsors on this bill which has about zero chance of passage, but, wow is there ever a press release…

STATEMENT FROM TANJA MURRAY, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE ILLINOIS CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“It’s baffling and shameful that some of our representatives apparently want to get rid of a common-sense law that makes it harder for dangerous people to get guns. At a time when our state’s largest city is reeling from a gun violence crisis – a crisis made worse by guns brought in from states without background check requirements – this proposal would only make it easier for criminals to get guns right here in Illinois.

To reduce the gun violence affecting communities across Illinois and across the country, we need more states, not fewer, to require background checks for all gun sales. I urge our representatives to reject this proposal and make clear that Illinois will not let the gun lobby roll back lifesaving gun laws.”

“Some” would be “one,” at least, so far.

But, hey, ever vigilant. I get it.

* And speaking of gun bills, this is from the NRA…

On Wednesday, January 25, the Senate Criminal Law Committee is scheduled to consider Senate Bill 50. Sponsored by state Senator William Haine, Senate Bill 50 continues the fight for important pro-gun safety reform for hearing protection rights. NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters are encouraged to sign a witness slip to go on record in support of Senate Bill 50. Please also contact your state Senator immediately and urge them to support SB 50.

Suppressors provide numerous benefits to the hunters and sportsmen who choose to use them. Most importantly, suppressors can decrease muzzle report to hearing-safe levels and reduce shooters’ risk of hearing damage, which can occur when discharging a firearm without proper hearing protection. Additionally, suppressors help increase accuracy by reducing felt recoil and shot “flinch.” Beginners to shooting sports adhere to a quicker learning curve on average because the muffled sound equates to increased focus and concentration on proper shooting mechanics. Furthermore, suppressors help reduce noise complaints from neighbors, which are frequently used as an excuse to close hunting lands throughout the country

* Synopsis…

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides the annual training of police chiefs must include at least one course on the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, and firearms investigations. Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Permits the State Police to notify the FBI if a person on the Terrorist Watchlist applies for a FOID card. Requires the State Police to provide notice and reason for the disqualification of a firearm purchase or a FOID card revocation to all law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction to assist with the seizure of the person’s FOID card. Adds as grounds to deny an application for or to revoke or seize the person’s FOID card that the person is charged with making a terrorist threat or soliciting or providing material support for terrorism. Makes other changes. Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that a person may not carry a concealed handgun equipped with a silencer. Amends the Wildlife Code. Removes the prohibition on using a silencer to mute the sound resulting from firing a gun. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the offense of unlawful use of weapons includes knowingly: using, or possessing with the intent to use, a silencer on a handgun, except at a shooting range; or possessing any silencer for firearms, other than handguns, not in compliance with the National Firearms Act. Provides that the offense of unlawful sale or delivery of firearms includes knowingly transferring a silencer to a person not authorized to possess the silencer under federal law. Effective immediately.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 3:56 pm

Comments

Finally common sense on gun control. Equip every gun with a silencer then at least the people in areas plagued by gun violence will be able to sleep, no loud noises to keep one awake. Also if you cant hear it maybe it wont get reported and it will at least seem like a safe place.

Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:04 pm
The lifelong hunter in my house says hell no on the silencer bill. he wants to know, and be sure, when others are shooting. I’ve never seen him more angry about a gun bill, on either end of the spectrum.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:06 pm
just saw on the side, news links, that Illinois appeal to SCourt on concealed carry rules lost. Yes, you have to follow those rules folks.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:10 pm
“…this proposal would only make it easier for criminals to get guns right here in Illinois”

Criminals don’t need a FOID to get a firearm.

Comment by Romeo Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:14 pm
Mixed feelings on the FOID card. Like other law abiding firearms owners, I have one.

But I’m old enough to remember when Illinois did not require a FOID. The FOID was a compromise, registering the owner instead of each individual firearm … and I have lived with that since, I think, 1968 … so continuing it isn’t that much of a hassle to me. The one advantage of keeping it in place is you can charge people who improperly use a firearm with violating the FOID provision.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:17 pm
Given that buyers need background checks, what is the argument for the card?

I’m just not seeing what it accomplishes.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:21 pm
Wow, more debate on gun control. Gun control laws have been so futile in controlling violence. If we wanted to make a difference we’d make sure that mental health history was in the background check database so these folks could be flagged. It’s too bad that the two sides of this debate can’t make some compromises.

Comment by The Dude Abides Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:23 pm
The argument on silencers is interesting. While on some level I understand the argument on protection of hearing, as Amalia referenced, the thought of somebody shooting deer with one is a bit disturbing.

Anybody who really needs a silencer or an “assault weapon” to take down deer or ducks probably shouldn’t be armed at all.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:25 pm
Please.

Comment by blue dog dem Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:36 pm
I thought that the FOID card required a background check to obtain, which allowed FOID card owners to purchase a weapon without the need of an additional background check? In other words, an owner of a FOID card is good-to-go as far purchasing firearms is concerned, so long as the FOID card is active. Wasn’t that the purpose of the FOID card? If not, than what is the purpose?

Comment by BK Bro Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:43 pm
The silencer legislation is a no brainer. Anyone who has one would go through background checks, fingerprints, fees, etc. And for what? A device that reduces the noise of a shot from extremely damaging to the level of a jet engine in close proximity. They should be requirded for all gun ranges, not retricted.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:44 pm
Wonder if the entity (person) pushing the silencer bill would benefit financially from said silencer bill passing…

Comment by Under Influenced... Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:46 pm
BK Bro… false. FOID appication does involve a background check, but card holders go through a background check again for each purchase.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:47 pm
I know many call them silencers; but what they portray in the movies is not accurate. I consider them more like car mufflers. Like car mufflers, suppressors reduce the sound levels (if people use low powered subsonic ammo); but they certainly don’t eliminate the noise.

Being against suppressors on firearms on the theory that bad guys will use them to shoot people is equivalent to being against car mufflers on vehicles on the theory that bad guys will use them to run over people. Just not based in reality.

So why not let the law abiding gun owners utilize them to reduce hearing damage for themselves and nuisance noise to their neighbors? In some countries, not using suppressors is considered very rude.

Comment by logic not emotion Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:51 pm
I thought a bunch of D legislators last year proposed the terrorism requirement last year? How are they going to vote against people on the no fly list not getting a FOID card?
Mail writes itself- When suspected Terrorists apply for FOID cards in Illinois, even though they’re on the No Fly list…Rep XYZ said that shouldn’t matter to get their GUNS.
This will put some Dem folks in possible precarious primary situations.

Comment by DuPage Bard Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:55 pm
===In some countries, not using suppressors is considered very rude.===

Lol.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:55 pm
Argument in favor of the FOID card? Not sure I know a good one. Maybe it would be worthwhile if having it or a CCW license allowed one to purchase firearms without the lengthy waiting period.

Comment by logic not emotion Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:55 pm
–The one advantage of keeping it in place is you can charge people who improperly use a firearm with violating the FOID provision.–

Supposedly, if a judge revokes an FOID card due to mental illness of the holder, ISP gets the report and can confiscate their firearms.

–the fight for important pro-gun safety reform for hearing protection rights–

The Founding Fathers were silent on “hearing protection rights” in the Constitution. And silencers aren’t in The Bible, so I don’t see where the foundation exists here for this legislation.

Is this part of the NRA’s efforts to scrub “Obama’s mocacchinno stain off America.”

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2017/01/23/nratv-co-host-time-scrub-obamas-mocacchino-stain-america/215084

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 4:59 pm
===mocacchinno===

I hadn’t heard that one. Nice. Make mine a venti, please.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 5:08 pm
42 other states allow them with no adverse effects. I have yet to hear one valid reason why they should be outlawed. Silencers are oddly shaped cans affixed to the end of a barrel. If they were valuable to criminals, makeshift ones would already be in use.

Comment by Alskid Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 5:10 pm
This bill, if allowed to come to a vote, is just cannon fodder for the so called conservatives to vote on so they can divert some heat when they have to vote for a tax increase on the poor and middle classes.

Comment by blue dog dem Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 5:45 pm
Historically the FOID card has provided little protection save its ability to add lesser charges to those already misusing firearms. What we get from the system may not equal the cost of its maintenance. As to what it is legal to hunt with: my.72 caliber bull barreled deer “Thumper” gun with a 3 by 9 variable scope is and your .223 assault rifle is not. Check DNR regulations. Personally not sure whether to be for or against silencers. The English allow them for shotguns and the noise reduction is appreciated by hunters and neighbors alike. Someone wishing to build their own silencer and risk trespassing into your deer ground could already be doing so. The information on how to make one is out on the web. Those who obtain these legally will have too much invested to risk breaking the law with them in hand.

Comment by Ranger Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 5:46 pm
@Wordslinger, thanks for posting that. straight up racist, NRA, what the what?!?

Comment by Amalia Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 6:06 pm
It’s a stretch to say just because a cohost of an NRA sponsored TV show makes an inappropriate comment that the whole organization is racist. For many years Robert Byrd, a former KKK member, was the leader of the Democrats in the US Senate. I’m sure most of Byrd’s Democratic colleagues were good unbiased people. Don’t condemn a whole organization because of the comments of one individual.

Comment by The Dude Abides Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 6:29 pm
I’m always amused by the Sen. Byrd example.

The Senator repeatedly apologized for his own involvement and spent much of his career working for civil rights.

Let me know when the NRA guy follows that example.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 7:05 pm
A couple of comments: 1. Legalization of silencers or suppressors in Illinois does not permit any gun owner to go out and buy or use one. They will still fall under the National Firearms Act and will have to registered (after another background check and a $200 fee for EACH device). I’ll never own one because of the cost. There is a movement at the Federal level to either remove silencers from the NFA, or reduce the permitting cost; we’ll see.
2. Several, if not mot, European countries allow the use of suppressors, if the firearm can be owned by the individual; use of them is not considered criminal, but actually a favor to other residents. It is not LOL, simply a fact.

Comment by downstate commissioner Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 8:12 pm
==Argument in favor of the FOID card? Not sure I know a good one==
Neither do I, except maybe to provide a slew of patronage jobs to folks who administer the program, and then who coincidentally go knocking on doors come election time. Rich himself did an article on getting rid of FOID’s a few years ago - I forget his number, but it was very significant, even for Illinois - at least in the tens of millions of dollars per year to keep in place, and who knows if that includes juicy pensions for the folks running it. I would absolutely love to know, of the approximately 4K people (illegally) shot last year in Chicago, how many were shot by an FOID cardholder?

Comment by Tom K. Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 9:02 pm
**Anybody who really needs a silencer or an “assault weapon” to take down deer or ducks probably shouldn’t be armed at all. **

Anyone that knows anything about hunting should know that hunting deer with any kind of rifle in Illinois is illegal.

Amalia - your “hunter” should stop watching James Bond movies and study the subject, they are suppressors, not silencers, and still loud enough to be easily heard.

Comment by CornCob Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 10:19 pm
Not sure where wordslinger got the idea that anyone is saying there is a constitutional right to suppressors, that he has to refute.

Comment by Harry Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 10:42 pm
As a hiker, hunter, and former resident adjacent to a forest, I fully appreciate the safety of hearing shots by unseen hunters. I have had to hit the deck three times in my civilian life so far.

For shooting at ranges or sketch shooting, I get the need for noise suppression. But ear protectors aren’t enough?

Comment by walker Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 11:20 pm
==- The Dude Abides - Monday, Jan 23, 17 @ 6:29 pm:==

Here’s more Dude:

1) defending racist chattel slavery and apartheid
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2016/08/04/nra-we-highly-recommend-racist-newsletter-frequently-defended-slavery/212184

2) It’s de facto guns-for-whites policy
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-silence-and-violence-of-the-n-r-a

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:21 am
And Dude, here’s a couple more

3) http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/04/robert-farago/rick-ector-why-the-nra-doesnt-include-blacks/
4) http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/the_nra_once_supported_gun_control/

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:22 am
Illinois is the only state between NY and Cali where suppressors are illegal. The process involves being fingerprinted, submitting photos and a $200 tax for each one. The wait time on them currently is about 8 months for ATF to process the paperwork.

Contrary to movie myth they are not silent. just as the things to see on the big screen are edited, so are the sounds. make the movies cooler that way.

what opponenet are really saying in opposing the bill is no level of gun control is sufficiant untill we get our bans back. If all the checks, and fingerprinting and waiting isn’t enough for an attchment to a firearm, then they will never be satisfied.

Comment by Todd Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 5:49 am
Yup. More spending cuts. This is our march to $2.3 billion.

Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 7:11 am
Black powder firearms are allowed to hnt deer, including bp rifles.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 7:14 am
If Illinois is going to have an FOID card, why not combine it with drivers license renewal?

I went yesterday to renew my license and SOS now punches a hole in your old license, gives it back to you, and hands you a paper license with a three month expiration. Your new license will be mailed to you after various security checks.

FOID renewal would be a whole lot easier if you could do it at the same time as license renewal. Your FOID information could be on the back of your license and expire the same date.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:11 am
Amilia — there are 3 sounds that come for a firearm, the sound of the shot being fired, the action of the gun and on most rounds the supersonic crack as the bullet breaks the sound barrier.

You can work to minimize the noise of the action, a suppresor brings down the sound of the shot, down to about 130db on most rifles, you might want to look at other things that are in that noise range.

But there is no way to stop the supersonic crack of the bullet. You can’t make a can long enough. So there will always be that noise.

Comment by Todd Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:38 am
P.C. - Care to find any unbiased sources ? The NRA fought to arm southern blacks when southern Dems refused to allow them to possess firearms.

Comment by CornCob Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:46 am
“As a hiker, hunter, and former resident adjacent to a forest, I fully appreciate the safety of hearing shots by unseen hunters. I have had to hit the deck three times in my civilian life so far.”

If you are hitting the deck after hearing a shot, you are already too late.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:39 pm
==If you are hitting the deck after hearing a shot, you are already too late.==

lol Story of my life.

(Hunters do carry more than one round in Illinois.)

Comment by walker Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 4:13 pm
Gooner @ 7:05 pm- “Let me know when the NRA guy follows that example.”

Don’t hold your breath waiting for NRA to become more “inclusive.” President Obama invited NRA mouthpiece Wayne LaPierre to participate in a prime time televised town hall on CNN, he no-showed.

LaPierre talks tough to his hometown audience at NRA conventions though. His speeches are laced with terms like “thugs” and “violent predators.”

Legalizing silencers is simply NRA opening up a larger market of consumers. Silencers are to be the new toys for the good old boys living in small towns and exurbia with money to spend.

Legalizing silencers does nothing for the over two thousand Illinois citizens waiting for their review from the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board. What’s NRA doing about that? Nothing. Someone please explain why Todd Vandermyde still has a job?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:01 pm