Illinois lawmakers want a gun registry. They’re determined to create one where they’ll know where every law-abiding citizen’s guns are and just who has what.

That’s the gist of a registry, at least.

After all, on TV, the bad guy always has a gun registered to them, making it easier for the police to solve the crime. So, Illinois legislators apparently want one in their state.

But gun rights advocates in the state are ready to testify and challenge the effort at upcoming hearings.

Gun rights groups are expected to testify at three public hearings over the state’s gun ban registry. The first is being held Thursday in Springfield.

The state’s gun and magazine ban was enacted Jan. 10. The measure banned the future sale and possession of more than 170 semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and handguns, and magazines over 15 rounds for handguns and over 10 rounds for rifles. The measure does not impact retired police or those active in military, law enforcement or security industries.

Despite constitutional challenges pending in federal court, on Oct. 1, the state opened the portal for firearms owners to register banned guns they owned before Jan. 10, when the law went into effect. A legislative panel asked Illinois State Police, which is hosting, to hold public hearings across the state about the rules. The first is in Springfield at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, said the room officials chose is too small for such a big issue.

“I think they’re going to find pretty quick that there’s a lot of people that are very anxious for some answers and just some accountability, somebody to actually talk to about how they’re going to do this,” Wilhour told The Center Square. “Is this the right thing to do.”

Of course, as noted, the gun registry is being challenged in the courts and after Bruen, I’m just not sure how lawmakers figure this will remain in place.

Still, it’s the law as it stands and advocates should testify and challenge aspects and implementation of that law.

Especially because this is really stupid.

Gun registries help the police on television, but in reality, the bad guys don’t register their guns, The gun registry won’t track bad guys’ guns in any way, shape, or form. At the very best, it’ll allow people to get stolen guns back after they’re recovered by law enforcement. That’s the only positive benefit of a gun registry.

The downside, though, is particularly bad.

After all, if you know who has what guns, it’s a lot easier to round them up.

A gun registry isn’t an automatic precursor to gun confiscation (at least not immediately), but gun confiscation cannot happen without gun registration.

Illinois’ gun registry needs to die a fiery death. Hopefully, the courts deal with that in due course, but it needs to happen either way. We don’t register our computers or our telephones, and free speech is just as much of a right as the right to keep and bear arms, so gun registration needs to be killed.

Good luck to these advocates in the meantime, and check out today’s hearing in its entirety here.