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Gun Bills On The Move In Springfield Illinois

Illinois State Rifle Association

Springfield, Illinois --(AmmoLand.com)- Even with thousands of supporters of firearm rights expressing their opinion at IGOLD last Wednesday, anti-gun legislators continue to push for laws that would have little to no effect on actual criminals and only restrict the law-abiding gun owners of Illinois.

Thankfully, not all of the legislators have fallen for the myths of the gun control lobby. Many of them support the Second Amendment rights and have filed bills in support of your rights.

Please contact your state representative this week regarding the bills below. You can find contact info for your representative here. If you’re not sure who your representative is, please find out at the Illinois State Board of Elections.

When you contact them, -politely- urge them to SUPPORT these measures:

HB462, HB5221, & HB6249, are various bills for the Right-to-Carry with differences in the technical details on eligibility, requirements, etc.

• HB5231, allows the possession of a firearm in a place where alcohol is served if it is possessed by the business owner, or by employees he has given permission to, while on the premises.
• HB4835, currently in the Senate this bill eliminates the waiting period requirement on firearm transfers if the transfer involves trading one operable firearm for another.
• With the general belief that McDonald v Chicago is going to come out in favor of the plaintiffs, the supporters of more restrictive gun control measures are attempting to pass as many bills through as possible. When you contact your Representative, ask them to OPPOSE these measures:
• HB180 Handgun Dealer Licensing. Establishes an additional, state-based, licensing scheme for Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders that sell handguns. The only effect this would have would be to increase the bureaucracy for FFL dealers and increase the costs to buyers.
• HB5480 Bans Private Sales of Firearms. Restricts most private transfers of handguns, requiring the transfers to be processed through an FFL.
• HB5495 One Handgun a Month. Restricts purchases of handguns to one every 30 days .
• HB5849 Restricts Firearm Transportation. In a response to the ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court recognizing center consoles and other storage places inside a vehicle as acceptable for transporting unloaded firearms, this bill states that cases must be specifically designed for firearms.
• HB6123, Selling to Gangmembers. Makes it a felony offense to “knowingly” sell a firearm to a “street gang member” as defined in the Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act.

You can find up-to-date information on these bills as well as the ISRA’s stances on them and others at the ISRA Legislation page.

The ISRA will continue to advocate for YOUR rights as firearm owners and citizens (which Mayor Daley considers extremist) but it does not have the support of taxpayer dollars or the Joyce Foundation. If you are an ISRA member, we need your continued support. Please make a donation on-line here, or over the phone at 815-635-3198. If you would like to mail or fax a donation, we have a printable form here. Even better would be to sign up friends and/or family members with gift memberships.

If you’re not an ISRA member, now is the time. You can join on-line, or over the phone at 815-635-3198.

Please post links to this article to all internet blogs, bulletin and message boards to which you belong. Pass this article on to your gun owning friends and fellow sporting club members. You can also join us on our FaceBook page along with hundreds of other fellow firearm enthusiasts.

About:
The ISRA is the state’s leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. Since 1903, the ISRA has represented the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners Visit: www.isra.org

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Bill Would Require Firearm Retailers To Discriminate Against Blacks & Hispanics
This Bill That Would Effectively Prohibit African Americans and Hispanics From Buying Guns, is advancing in the Illinois General Assembly.

Illinois State Rifle Association

CHICAGO, IL – -(AmmoLand.com)-  Law-abiding African Americans and Hispanics would take it on the chin under a bill now moving through the Illinois General Assembly.

Sponsored by Rep. Harry Osterman (D-14), HB6123 would prohibit any person or entity from selling a firearm to a so-called “street gang member.” This prohibition applies even if the individual has passed a Brady Law FBI background check. Making a prohibited sale would result in Class 1 felony charges and possible jail time for the seller. Although the ISRA supports genuine efforts to curb criminal violence, the organization is strongly opposed to HB6123 as the bill’s provisions are arbitrary and pose an unreasonable intrusion on the rights of law-abiding Illinois citizens.

“HB6123 promotes racial profiling at its worst,” commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. “Popular culture has branded urban minorities with the ‘gangsta’ stereotype that is pervasive well beyond the confines of actual criminal enterprises. Today’s fashion, music, slang and lifestyle are all heavily influenced by the urban experience. Given that the provisions of HB6123 establish no test for determining ’street gang’ membership, and given the harsh penalties for violating the proposed law, it is understandable that retailers would shy away from selling firearms to persons whose speech, dress, mannerisms, or taste in music reflect the urban lifestyle.”

“Several Chicago nightclubs stirred considerable controversy recently when they denied entry to young men wearing baggy pants and cornrows in their hair,” continued Pearson. “The nightclub owners justified these actions by claiming that baggy pants and certain hair styles are indicative of gang membership – despite the fact that the young men had done nothing improper.

While the popular press bristled over the nightclubs’ actions, the press has ignored HB6123 although the bill would bless, and even require firearm retailers to discriminate against individuals based on their appearance. This sort of cultural profiling is vile enough when persons are denied entry into a private club, but denying one’s constitutional rights based solely on their appearance flies in the face of the principles under which our nation was founded. Of course, if a gang member wished to purchase a firearm, all he would have to do is don a Brooks Brothers’ suit and speak the King’s English and he’d be good to go.”

“The bottom line is this,” said Pearson. “If HB6123 is passed into law, the calendar on race-relations will be turned back 70 years and there will not be a gun shop in the state that will sell a firearm to an African American or Hispanic person. If that’s Rep. Osterman’s intent, then he has a lot of explaining to do.”

The ISRA is the state’s leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

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