By Ashley Badgley Illinois Statehouse News
SPRINGFIELD – A House committee on Monday pushed through three pieces of gun legislation, sending them to the full House for consideration.
State Rep. Harry Osterman, D-Chicago, sponsored two of the bills that passed. His first bill – approved on a 7-to-5 vote — amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act by prohibiting individuals who lack the proper license to sell or transfer their firearms to another person. The transaction could only be performed through a licensed dealer.
Osterman said the measure would prevent people with criminal records from owning firearms. However, National Rifle Association lobbyist Todd Vandermyde said the bill would just create more work for lawful gun owners.
However, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas Mahoney told committee members that Osterman’s legislation will help Illinois residents who legally purchase their firearms.
Osterman’s second bill passed on a 6-to-4 vote, and would require gun owners to have a proper, portable gun carrying case in which to transport their gun.
Osterman said this legislation is “commonsense” for gun owners.
Chicago Police Sgt. John Hamilton testified that such a simple requirement could mean the difference between life and death. He said he has witnessed the shooting of several fellow officers because someone did not have their gun in a proper container when transporting it.
State Rep. Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein, voted against the bill, saying it would cause confusion because the bill would change Illinois Supreme Court guidelines regarding a proper gun case.
He said judges all over the state would each make different rulings.
State Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago sponsored the third gun measure passed by the House committee, on a 6-to-4 vote. The bill would prohibit Illinois gun manufacturers from selling firearms to Illinois residents. The manufacturers could sell their firearms to other states, as well as to Illinois police officers, Acevedo said.
A strong gun opponent, Acevedo said his measure would decrease the number of Illinois residents purchasing firearms.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said the bill could hurt Illinois businesses and jobs because they are losing their customers and must rely on other states for business.
The Chicago Rep’s continue to try and punish all the citizens of Illinois with more & more gun laws because of the violence in Chicago.
The violence in Chicago is not because of guns – it’s because of mis-management of government.
Hey!! I have an idea!!!
Why don’t we pass a law to prohibit criminals from having firearms!?!?!
Or better yet, why don’t we have a system to identify law abiding citizens who simply want to exercise their constitutional rights?!?!
Or even better than that… let’s ban handguns in Chicago since that’s where most of the gun-violence occurs!?!?!
Ah yeah, we’ve already done all that AND IT DID NOT WORK!!!!
…sigh… Time for new legislators who *may* possess an ounce of common sense.
Sgt. John Hamilton you are a first-rate complete dumbass. Do you really seriously think someone who has the mindset to shoot a cop would comply with a law that requires a gun to be in a case? You need to lay off the crack pipe. Illinois and Chicago in general have some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country and yet Chicago is one of the murder capitols in the country. Doesn’t this tell you brainless Demorats anything? Gun laws don’t mean excrement to a criminal. They only serve to make it more of a hassale if not impossible for law abiding citizens to own a gun and protect themselves against thugs. I am amazed at the sheer stupidity of so many Demorats. Why do you constantly point the finger in the wrong direction. People kill people. Targert the criminal not the gun. The only gun control that would work is complete confiscation and I dare you rats to try that one and see what happens. You don’t have the balls but I know your ideal would be to disarm every Amercian. Piss on the Constitution right? Criminals will always find a way to get a gun even under the harshest confiscation scheme so really there is absolutely no way to completely prevent gun crime. So leave our guns alone you jackasses!
As I’m sure you have heard many times……all the gun laws in the world will not have any effect on what criminals do, since they ignore the law. Gun laws affect only responsible law abiding citizens.
“individuals who lack the proper license” sounds like this is just a scam to force people to pay an unspecified fee to gun dealers to file paperwork that will then be used as a national gun registry.
“a proper, portable gun carrying case” Let’s pass a law where it’s so vague that compliance becomes a coin flip as to which judge hears your case. You need to have the case manufactures (WITHOUT COST TO THEM) have their cases certified by the state. Anyone with an existing case should be able to bring it to the state police and have it certified.
“The bill would prohibit Illinois gun manufacturers from selling firearms to Illinois residents.” What’s the meaning of this? Anyone with a valid FOID should be able to purchase from any manufacturer, dealer or other individual.
I am against this bill we just lose more of our freedom
Good Grief, why is it so hard for the bleeding heart Liberals to confront the real problems that cause gun fatalities?
Poverty, drugs, gang activity, mental instability, anger & carlessness!
Until someone steps up to the plate and says “Hey, we need to focus on why these people are committing these acts, not just the tool of choice”, this will never end.
If someone is in a frame of mind to kill another, taking the tool away does nothing to correct that frame of mind!
As a 53 yr old male I am amazed at the Democratic dance around the real issues. If your incompetent to face the real issues please resign and give someone else your seat….
More onerous regulations only have a negative impact on law-abiding citizens and have NO positive impact toward detering criminal use of firearms. This is not the kind of “change” Illinoisans voted for!
i oppose all 3 bills. criminals get their guns any way. i also agree with the comments listed
I think that the first bill is a bunch of rubbish. If one thinks that this is going to stop those “gang bangers” from getting guns that it are already illegal for them to posses is frightfully naive even for a democrat from Chicago. And the sad thing is that I also call myself a Democrat. This bill/amendment only makes it harder for the honest gun owner to sell his or her gun, let’s say to a family member. What are you going to do, fine or send this honest person to jail? I could go on with many reasons this is not a good idea but let’s go onto the next section.
Regarding possessing the proper gun case legislation. I cannot comment on this until I read what the details of this amendment. I do believe that the safety of our law enforcement people should of great consideration but do not believe that the honest citizen should not have the means to provide protection for himself and/or his family.
Regarding prohibiting the sale of guns in Illinois by its gun manufactures, I agree with Dan Brady that the bill not allowing state gun mfg to sell within their own state is nothing short (in my words)of “pure ignorance”. At best you are causing the gun shops that are run within the state to lose money. Are you naive enough to think that these same guns will not make it back into the state and hands of the very people that you are trying to keep them out of? At the worst, you will cause another industry that is currently located in the state of Illinois and providing jobs to its people to pack up and move to another state in order to be able to sell back to this state and/or go out of business completely. Also, I “STRONGLY” believe that any such bill or amendment “MUST” be clearly be added to an election ballot and let the “PEOPLE” decide if such changes should be enacted, especially when the house vote is as close as 6-4 which tells me that not all of our state representatives even voted on this. I’m sure it’s not hard for Mr. Osterman to go and gather 6 of his buddies to make a deal and get them to vote his way, which I think is not a fair representation of the views of the citizens of Illinois. I strongly agree that many guns are getting into the hands of people who should not have them. However, why does almost every gun bill adversely affect honest gun owner more than it does the deviant personalities that these laws are intended to be aimed at. This is a social issue. These people committing these crimes are going to continue to act like this and will continue to acquire illegal guns. The only way I see to stop this is to take away the right for all people to own guns, which (1). Would incite huge riots; cause almost the entire representative to be voted out of office. and/or (2). Would surely cause many a current honest, law abiding citizen to be considered a criminal because most law abiding gun owner citizens would refuse to give up their guns.
I am not currently an NRA member, but when I see (gun slinger) representation such as that of my fellow Democrat, Mr. Osterman try and ramrod this bill through that affects so many citizens, it makes me sick to my stomach to think that this is where “my” America is headed. Yes, we have a problem with guns in the hands of those who should not have them. When we have an alcoholic who gets a DUI and/or kills somebody, do we take all the cars or all the alcoholic beverages away from our citizens? No, we take the privilege to drive the car away from that individual and/or take them off the street. We need to use that same socially accepted concept and find a way to address these problems that don’t affect the honest citizen and his ability to lawfully operate a car.
The three sponsors of these bills must be out of their minds of they think anyone intent on wrong doing will pay any attention to these laws. We already have over 21 thousand gun laws on the books, enough is enough!
Illinois has enough gun laws on the books.More then any other state.
Lets enforce the one we have,add concelled carry for legal gun onwers and watch crime in this state go down.
The first bill sounds like a money maker for licensed dealers. The second bill just conflicts with the current guidelines and regarding Sgt. Hamilton’s remark, I don’t think it would matter what kind of case a “loaded” gun was being transported. The end result would be the same. Solution? Unload the darn gun before you transport it! As for the third bill? One word……..ludicrous! Lets take away more jobs from Illinoisans and chase customers from Illinois across the border. Of course, look where the bill sponsors are from. How about introducing a bill for conceal carry instead? Geez, are Illinois and Wisconsin so much smarter than the rest of the country? I think not. Enough said!
All three laws are not necessary and infringe on law abiding citizens to own, transfer and transport firearms.
I still waiting for the State Police to renew my FOID card and it going on over 10 weeks since I sent it on 2-24-2010. How long is it taking to renew a man’s FOID card these days? Illinois gun control laws make regular folks violators if they can’t renew a man FOID card in atimely manner. I tried to abide by the laws, but if things can’t be done in a timely manner I become a person who can be cited for violating Illinois guns laws when I have tried to comply in timely manner. Is this another way that Chicago legislators are trying to control gun ownership by slowing down a persons application for a FOID card and his right to bears arms under State Laws?
Todd Milliron
61 Cotswold Drive
Yorkville, IL. 60560
On Amending the Firearm Owners Identification act. What is next, I cant sell my used car or motor vehicle except through a licenced car dealer. Most crimminals use cars or other motor vehicles to get to and from the crime they commit.
On a Proper Gun Case. A proper gun case and transportaion are already defined. Chicago police Sgt. John Hamilton testified that such a simple requirement could mean the difference between life and death. He is correct in that a law abiding citizen could not defend themself(him or her) or their family and become victims and more statistics.
He Further testified that he has witnessed the shooting of several officers because the someone did not have the gun in a proper container. He didnt mention if the “someone” was a law abiding citizen or a crimminal already. If they were crimminal(s) I seriously doubt that they would obey a law and transport a gun in a special case or container. And aren’t most convicted crimminals prohibited from owning firearms already. Where is the law that makes it illigal to commit a crime? Im sure that would prevent all crime in the future.
On prohibiting Illinois gun manufactures from selling guns to Illinois residents is also rediculous. Does State Rep Edward Acevedo want to push businesses away from Illinois incl. Gun Manufacturers. Next all Illinois manufactures would be prohibited from selling their product to Illinois residents becuase they could be use for an illegal purpose.
Concerning HB5495 let’s drive more businesses out of Illinois. Let’s force IL. gun owner/purchasers to go spend our money in other states and allow more jobs to created elsewhere. Sure makes sense to me when this state has been driven into bankruptcy by Chicago democratic policies. Democrats beware our votes will be heard come November.
Sounds like you cannot stop the murders by people that illegally possess firearms. Many of those guns the gang bangers have, we have discovered, have been stolen from law enforcement. Why would you go after the law abiding citizens? All these proposed bills impact law abiding citizens.
Lets evaluate the facts, conceal carry that is implemented in a majority of the American states has resulted in a reduction in violent crime. Go after the criminals and leave we downstaters alone!
It is the guns posessed by criminals and such ilk that is the problem. These Cook County types make laws that the lawful will obey and the criminal types will continue to ignore. As all such laws passed by the Cook County types have been ignored in the past.
How many criminals will carry thier guns, legal or otherwise, in a legal container. How many policemen have been killed by a gun legal or otherwise improperly stored in a container legal or otherwise without first someone pulling the trigger? How can you make a ciminal of someone who gives a treasured gun to a friend or relative before they die. What are you gonna do, put the dead person on trial?
Each of these insane bills violates the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They will not prevent one crime or one criminal from getting a firearm. They will cause the lose of thousands of jobs & millions of dollars in revenue to the state from the sporting industry. By law it will cause the closure of the Sparta range as the banned firearms are what is used there. It will destroy virtually all hunting & sporting shooting in the state as well as forcing the closure of most all FFL dealers. If they become law every firearm & Ammo manufacture in the U.S. should stop supplying firearms, ammo, parts, repair or warrenty to any & all law enforcement agencies in Ill. as this is their right. These bill have nothing to do with preventing crime, just preventing Ill. residents from owning firarms. Chicago corrupt politicians are behind this & they will see a crime rate like never before, as this is just what the criminal wants to be law. If these politicians had a brain they would get rid of the restrictive laws & pass a shall issue concealed carry law. Illinois is one of the most corrupt states in the nation, led by Mr. Obama in Wash. Its a proven fact states & cities with the most restrictive laws have the highest crime rates, Ill. just added more to the cemetaries by these laws. Every intelligent person had better get off their ass & tell these idiots NO, & those with intelligence to vote NO on these assinine laws.
More crap from mayor Daleys puppets. TAhe state is hurting for money and this would drive any gun mfg. out of the state. Pore restrictions on the honst person and will mean nothing to the crooks.
When all other states of this nation are relaxing gun regulations to the benefit of law abiding citizens, Illinois is going the direction of the ever intrusive government and creating more bureaucratic red tape and obstacles. Nationally, anything positive, Illinois ranks at or near the bottom (like education), anything negative, Illinois ranks near the top, (like jobs). Why am I not surprised! All I see in sponsorship is D-Chicago, D-Chicago, D-Chicago!
Three more bills, three more reasons to move to another state.
I THINK THAT YOU SHOULD SIGN THE CONSEAL CARRY SO WE DONT HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THE CHICAGO THUGS THAT LET LOOSE THERE. THATS WHERE ALL OF THE ILLIEGAL STUFF, INCLUDING DRUS COMES FROM. DONT START WITH LAW ABIDING PEOPLE OF THE REST OF THE STATE. LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE
Way to go. Push more businesses out of Illinois. If I were Springfield Armory or Rock River I would have a FOR SALE sign in front of my building TODAY!
I see how much the politicians trust their subjects.
Democrats also want your gun tucked as safely away as possible. If you were allowed to carry and use it for your personal defense, they would loose a large portion of their voting base.
Ask Chicago Police Sgt. John Hamilton if he will ride around in his cruiser with all his weapons safely locked in the trunk and ammo in the glove box . If he says yes elect him Chief of Police.
why do the honest hard working gun onrer have to under go more gun restricons? we are not the ones tobe worried about. our gunes are legal. i shoot compation with lawenforcement and sportsmen our goals are to put saftey first. we are not the ones doing the drive-by shotings and killing the enocent by standers,with the illegal gotten guns. maybe you should look around you . put the gang wantabes with illegaly gotten guns where they need to be. these bills are hurting the ones that vote. i would hope that they remeber that.
not one of these bills make sense.i am against them and will not vote for anyone who votes for anyone one of these bills. by the way what crook has a gun carrying case, that uses it?
Sirs,
This is just another way to deny lawful firearm owners their constitutional rights. This is juat another scheme to make harder and more inconvienent to purchase firearms. You seem to ignore the fact that most firearm crime is committed by CRIMINALS who don’t obey any law in the first place. November is coming and WE WILL REMEMBER.
Jeffrey H. King
17428 DeeMack Rd.
Mackinaw, IL
When are we going to make use of the state and federal laws, that already exist? Politicans seem to think it is wrong to prosecute
those who enguage in criminal behaviour. Because it might offend their extended family who might vote for them. Virginia uses a federal law to put people in jail for, three years for federal gun
violations. This then allows them to build a state case against them. A lot of carrer criminals have left Virgina. Use all the laws
that you already on the books to prosecute these carrer criminals.
why dont you go after the people that commit crimes in stead of treading on my rights. to keep and bare arms . read the constituion. my right too keep and bare arms. leave my gun rights allown.
Thank you Mr. Brady, I find it hard to believe that any govt. official would even think of limiting the sale of anything manufactured in Illinois to Illinois residents. But then again look at our financial situation, it would seem to me that we would take whatever income that could be generated.
Mike Rathbun
All (3) of the bills are a BAD BAD BAD. Im sick and tired of all the dems trying to make it harder for me to own a firearm when i have not ever been in any trouble my hole 68 yrs on this planit.
The FOID card is unconstitutional. I will not pay the broke state of Illinois money to acquire my constitutional rights. It has already been granted to me by the U.S. Constitution. Go back to law school you morons.
Why do legistators spend so much time and the tax payers dollars to create more bills? There is already a supreme court ruling on carrying cases so why a state bill?
Amending the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act by prohibiting individuals who lack the proper license to sell or transfer their firearms to another person won’t stop criminals, if they want to get a gun, they will. Again, why more legislation that won’t stop criminals from getting a gun.
Prohibiting Illinois gun manufacturers from selling firearms to Illinois residents won’t stop criminals from getting a gun, they will steal or buy from another state.
What a waste of taxpayers money and politicians time.
Why do legistators spend so much time and the tax payers dollars to create more bills? There is already a supreme court ruling on carrying cases so why a state bill?
Amending the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act by prohibiting individuals who lack the proper license to sell or transfer their firearms to another person won’t stop criminals, if they want to get a gun, they will. Again, why more legislation that won’t stop criminals from getting a gun.
Prohibiting Illinois gun manufacturers from selling firearms to Illinois residents won’t stop criminals from getting a gun, they will steal or buy from another state.
I think that all state law makers, judges, police officer should be on the same page. When some one has a fiod card, that is a licens to own a ggun and it tells the law that they are legal and they are not a crimnal. Its the crimnals that do not care about the gun laws. these new laws are aginst the good guy that has a foid card, its just another way of taking the good americans laws from them…
There are already enough laws on the books that are adequate – law abiding citizens will & do already comply with the laws – Criminals however could care less about the law and will not change their behavior. State Police are already getting cut due to budgets so tell me how less officers will be able to do more. Just means that Illinois residents will go out-of-state and spend monies to purchase firearms and Illinois will be out more tax dollars.
What part of the words”will not infringe on the rights of an individual to keep and bare arms” do our legislatures not comprehend. Instead of allowing legal citizens of Illinois from purchasing and selling guns to each other this Bill does the opposite. We need true legislative representation. We need Legislatures to introduce and pass Bills that allow legal Illinois citizens to openly carry their weapons of choice. A criminal does not respect a law abiding citizen, but a criminal does respect the law abiding citizens gun. If a criminal sees that a law abiding citizen is openly carrying his/her gun, the chances of the criminal attempting to attack the law abiding citizen or do harm to the law abiding citizen diminishes greatly. The main reason Illinois is a high crime state is because of the anti-gun laws our representatives write and pass here in Illinois. Just look at the difference in the crime rate of pro-gun states compared to the crime rate here in Illinois, and that will tell the whole story. The crime rate of pro-gun states is and has always been lower than in Illinois because pro-gun state respect and observe the rights of law abiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals. And it works.
Rep. Acevedo -
Your bill to keep Illinois residents from buying guns mfg’d in Ill. -
What is the name of the mfgrs. you wish to deny to Ill. buyers ??? Why would you do this ??
” — decrease the no. of Ill. gun purchases –” ?
Try as I will I cannot make any sense of this . You are depicted as a strong opponnent of guns. Obviously the tweety bird membersof the “OOOHH I’m so scared of guns club” have a strong influence on your ‘thinking”.
I believe there are 48 states who now recognize the need for their voters to protect themselves, since the police of course cannot be everywhere. Because of the unthinking prejudous of people like you, Illinois is one of the two who don’t. The pressure of the Mayor of Chicago to prevail on the states residents when he has no right to do so is also laid at your doorstep.
Evan if there were gun mfgrs. in Ill. why would you deny them the sales that would generate jobs ?????
such lack of foresight, cconsideration, is deplorable. You are not acting thoughtfully, you are react without thought.
The problem is not GUNS. The problem is bad people with GUNS. The best answer is more good people with guns.
Why would you be concerned about good, responsible voters “carrying” ? Your worry should be the many too many people who should NOT be carrying who, you surely realize are NOW carrying, why would you, after giving the matter the deep consideration it should be given, worry about RESPONSIBLE, LICENSED, VOTERS, being able to defend themselves ?
I truly have not been aware of a gun mfgr. in Illinois. To whom were you referring, and trying to drive out of business ? Why again ?? Blind obeiasance to Daley ?? Shame . Sure puts you in a bad light. May I hear from you ??? Jerry Cleary P.O. Box 188, Ashkum, Ill. 60911
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