NRA Asks Supporters To Take Action As Illinois Votes On Gun Control Bill

UPDATE 03/14/18, 1:19 pm

All three bills, HB 1465, 1467, and 1468 have passed in the Illinois Senate. The three bills will now go before Gov. Bruce Rauner.

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For specifics on each bill, the NRA has more information here.

***Original Post***

Gun control measures like new age restrictions on purchasing semi-automatic rifles and waiting periods after firearm purchases have been gaining popularity across the country. Florida’s governor recently signed a new gun bill that raised the age requirement for purchasing long guns to 21 and established a three day waiting period, but the state is now facing a federal lawsuit from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Now Illinois’ state legislature is considering similar pieces of legislation.

As a result, the NRA is asking the people of Illinois to take action and contact their state legislators to oppose the series of bills, which will all be up for a vote on March 14.

Here’s the NRA’s statement (emphasis theirs):

On Wednesday, March 14th, the Illinois state Senate will consider a number of extreme gun control bills.  These bills ban the possession of most semi-automatic firearms and magazines by law-abiding adults aged 18-20, requiring them to be surrendered within 90 days, impose a 72-hour waiting period on modern semi-automatic firearms, and ban certain firearm accessories and historical firearms. These bills have already passed the state House of Representatives and it is urgent that you contact your state Senator and ask them to OPPOSE House Bills 1465, 1467, and 1468….

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If the legislation were to pass the Illinois Senate and land on Illinois’ Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk, Second Amendment supporters and the NRA have reason to hope that Rauner would use his veto power. Why? On Tuesday, Gov. Rauner took a stand against proposed leftist regulations on small gun businesses.

As Tom reported earlier, Gov. Rauner took a stand for the Second Amendment when he vetoed Illinois Democrats’ legislation that would implement new gun regulations that would affect small gun businesses. Gov. Rauner deemed the law as “unnecessary, burdensome regulation.”

Some of the legislation coming up for a vote in Illinois is different from what Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) signed into law, as one of the bills entails a gun ban as well as gun confiscation. As the NRA notes, there wouldn’t just be a ban on the future sale of specific semi-automatic firearms, but law-abiding gun owners who own them would be required to turn them over to the state. An instance like this is where Second Amendment supporters question the motives of those on the Left, as progressives always say they are not coming to confiscate the weapons of law-abiding gun owners.

The proposal from the Illinois legislature is a dangerous move by the state, and it will undoubtedly be challenged in court, as the NRA is already fighting back against the passage of Florida’s latest gun reform.

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While Gov. Rauner can veto these proposals as he did Tuesday’s gun regulation bill, the Illinois legislature can override it. Article IV of Illinois’ Constitution states the Illinois legislature can override the veto if the proposal receives three-fifths of the vote in both chambers.

This post will be updated after the vote is cast.

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