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Rauner between a rock and a hard place on guns, but he does have an ace in the hole

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Illinois

* Gov. Rauner’s situation summed up in two tweets…

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signed legislation empowering police to confiscate firearms from citizens and extending the wait period for gun purchases to 72 hours.

The new waiting period means a single woman being pursued by a stalker now has to hide and/or live behind locked doors for three days while she waits to get a gun for self-defense.

NBC 26 reports that the confiscatory law is called the Firearms Restraining Order Act. By signing it, Rauner made Illinois the 13th state to empower police to confiscate guns and he joined a growing list of Republican governors who signed such laws into place following the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting.

* “War on Guns” author John Lott in Town Hall…

Illinois Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed two new gun control bills into law at the end of last week.

Everyone wants to do something to stop mass public shootings. Unfortunately, these laws will not make Americans safer and surely won’t prevent mass public shootings such as the one in Parkland.

* Southern Illinoisan…

State Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said the bill to takes guns away from those with mental health issues unfairly limits due process and could make criminals out of law-abiding citizens.

“Quite simply, the bill goes too far and allows for actual confiscation of legally-owned weapons,” she said.

She said the 72-hour waiting period law is another example of Chicago Democrats playing to a radical anti-gun base.

“This bill creates yet another layer of bureaucracy to place at the altar of Chicago Democratic-base politics,” Bryant said. “This legislation really strikes at some beloved traditions in Southern Illinois and will harm gun dealers and gun and knife trade shows. Unfortunately, every day that the Legislature is in session in Illinois, pro-Second Amendment legislators like myself must be vigilant and work to protect our constitutionally guaranteed rights.”

* And then there’s the other side: The gun dealer licensing bill he’s pledged to veto…

Kathleen Sances, president and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois, disagrees. She says Chicago police recover 7,000 illegal guns a year — and 4,000 from in-state dealers.

“He should want to be saving our children,” says Sances. “And he looks like he’s choosing to secure the profits of the gun industry rather than keep our communities safe. “

Just before announcing his veto plans for the licensing bill, Rauner signed two other gun-related measures. One allows confiscation of guns from people if a court deems them dangerous to themselves or others; another imposes a 72-hour waiting period for all gun purchases in Illinois.

Sances says while she is pleased that Rauner approved the other two gun-safety bills, she is perplexed over his decision not to want to track illegal gun sales.

“I mean, I think these are easy bills for him to sign,” says Sances. “I don’t understand, though, why he wouldn’t sign a bill that would have helped stopped the shootings in our city. I mean, our children are dying. There are shootings every two hours here — and that’s because there’s too many illegal guns.”

* More…

“We know that illegal guns are flooding our neighborhoods and contributing to the daily violence so many in our state face, particularly minority communities,” argued the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. “I hope he will reconsider his threat to veto this legislation and prove that he cares about everyone in Illinois.”

* And…

“Illinois needs stronger, smarter state gun laws to keep guns off our streets and out of the wrong hands,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement Monday afternoon. “It is the height of hypocrisy when the same governor who signed a bill to regulate catfish sales will not stand up and take common sense steps to regulate gun sales.”

* Normally, when candidates look for a middle ground on hot-button issues, they wind up getting blasted by both sides for their apostasy. Judy Baar Topinka is a notable historical example. She considered herself pro-choice, so she was constantly attacked on her right flank. But Personal PAC decreed that she wasn’t pro-choice enough, so she was whacked for being a right-winger on the topic.

But in this case, Gov. Rauner has at least one defender…

Under the new law, however, family members or law enforcement can go before a judge to seek a restraining order that directly addresses the respondent’s firearm ownership.

Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard A. Pearson released a statement celebrating the bill’s success.

“We applaud the governor for taking action to save lives,” Pearson wrote. “Studies in both Indiana and Connecticut indicate that similar laws to [House Bill] 2354 reduce gun-related suicide deaths by 7 percent to 13 percent.”

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 10:29 am

Comments

Common sense middle of the road response. A good decision by Rauner.

Comment by Wondering Wendy Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 10:49 am
–Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard A. Pearson released a statement celebrating the bill’s success.–

Let me take a ballpark swing on the angle here: Pearson and his crew sell a few guns here and there out their houses, and are happy about the upcoming veto of the licensing bill.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 10:50 am
Oy with the Terri Bryant.

==“Quite simply, the bill goes too far and allows for actual confiscation of legally-owned weapons,” she said.==

Yes, Representative, that’s the whole point of the bill. Bryant seems to be ignorant of the fact that some shootings and suicides are committed by people who legally own the guns used in said shooting and/or suicide. Even Pearson acknowledges this. Perhaps it’s popular belief in her district that all shootings are only perpetrated by people with stolen firearms, and no one has ever killed themselves with their own firearm?

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 11:01 am
It isn’t really a hard place unless GovJunk believes his “Fire Madigan” dribble will make forget his pro choice, pro gun safety stuff.
As demonstrated by Rep. Bryant 2A whack jobs think even the certifieds need “due process”. Aother great “local control” position.
Maybe GovJunk will start handin’ out free ammo at his rallies.

Comment by Annonin' Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 11:06 am
Terri Bryant probably should be careful after drinking that much Brietbart Kool aid. She also should brush up on what “due process” actually means. Considering the so-called “gun confiscation bill” specifically requires judicial hearings (and assuming she’s referring to procedural due process), such an argument is laughable.

Comment by INI Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 11:17 am
“Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard A. Pearson released a statement celebrating the bill’s success.”

As a former NRA member and former ISRA member, Pearson has never been anything but a useless shill for police unions. Pearson is mentioned in Otis McDonald’s book, An Act of Bravery, as one of the people who conned Otis into signing on as lead plaintiff against the city of Chicago handgun ban in 2007.

When McDonald v. Chicago led to the U.S. 7th Circuit overturning Illinois’ ban on concealed firearms in 2012 Pearson and former NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde, along with Valinda Rowe from Illinois Carry and John Boch from GSL all fell all over themselves to place Duty to Inform in Rep. Brandon Phelps’ concealed carry bill. Every “gun rights” group in Illinois is infested by sellouts that support gun seizures by police. Nothing new here.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 11:25 am
Rahm should save his lectures for the Cook County state’s attorney and Cook county judges, who when they get an actual illegal gun in their hands fail to prosecute, provide very low bail, and never follow through. Gun control starts there as far as I am concerned.

Comment by 44th Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 11:30 am
I recall Mary Rosh had great things to say about John Lott book, until it was revealed they were one and the same person. I don’t believe him when he says everyone wants to stop mass shootings.

Comment by Heat of Summer Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 11:47 am
Rauner can say he acted in accord with the ISRA. When Rich Pearson and the ISRA aren’t considered sufficiently strong on gun rights, it says more about their critics than about them.

Comment by anon2 Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 1:03 pm
= By signing it, Rauner made Illinois the 13th state to empower police to confiscate guns and he joined a growing list of Republican governors who signed such laws into place following the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting. =

Sounds like Republican governors are walking the walk with regards to actually trying to stop gun violence, while others just like to talk the talk.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 1:27 pm
Taking a matter before a judge is hardly stomping on your Due Process rights. To me it’s radical to oppose such a measure. And the 72 hour waiting period? Whether you think this will or won’t help I hardly think a 72 hour waiting period stomps on anyone’s rights.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 2:35 pm
== Whether you think this will or won’t help I hardly think a 72 hour waiting period stomps on anyone’s rights ==

Really only impacts a new gun owner. Yes, existing gun owners have to wait, but it isn’t like we don’t already have some firearms in our gun safe.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 3:22 pm
anon2 @ 1:03 pm- “When Rich Pearson and the ISRA aren’t considered sufficiently strong on gun rights, it says more about their critics than about them.” Pearson is a total joke. Major John Birch started Concealed Carry, Inc. in 1997 because Pearson and ISRA were doing nothing whatsoever to advance citizen carry in Illinois.

“Executive director” (good old boys love those Grand Poobah masonic type titles) is a paid position for Pearson. ISRA & NRA don’t want to win, they would go out of business. Pearson is a leftover from the early 1960s, in real life he sells insurance in Chatsworth. He couldn’t punch his way out of a paper bag, as demonstrated by his happy face endorsement of this bill for his members.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 3:48 pm
==Everyone wants to do something to stop mass public shootings. Unfortunately, these laws will not make Americans safer and surely won’t prevent mass public shootings such as the one in Parkland.==

Perhaps not, but it could have very well stopped the Waffle House shooting.

Comment by G'Kar Monday, Jul 23, 18 @ 4:20 pm