Anti-Gun Illinois Democrats Are Going After the Driver’s Licenses of FOID Card Holders. On January 10, 2024, State Senator Julie Morrison, the Democrat Majority Caucus Whip introduced legislation in the Senate – Senate Bill 2720 – that proposes when a FOID card is revoked – and the FOID card holder does not comply with Section 9.5 of the FOID Act by surrendering their FOID card to authorities, they may NOT BE ISSUED a driver’s license; RENEW a driver’s license; RETAIN a driver’s license; or be ISSUED a permit to drive under the Illinois Vehicle Code. AND – the Illinois State Police shall notify the Secretary of State of those that fail to adhere to Section 9.5.
State Senator Morrison believes it’s this simple: Just COMPLY with Section 9.5 and turn in your revoked FOID card, then there are no issues. It’s not that easy. SB 2720 eliminates due process that can unfairly target FOID Card holders.
For example, under the Red Flag Law, there can be an ex parte complaint against you. Ex parte means someone can file a complaint against you, go before a Judge without you present or even knowing that there is a complaint against you, and you can lose your FOID Card and your driver’s license without a hearing for 2 weeks, even then it may not be settled.
There are other consequences: SB 2720 targets FOID Card holders, but does nothing to improve internal Illinois State Police processes where it can take up to several months to get a FOID Card .
The ISP is overwhelmed, so ensuring that their database is updated in a timely manner is a challenge and that can have serious consequences for FOID Card holders under this legislation.
Here’s an important question: Do we trust the Illinois State Police to update the database in a timely manner?
FOID Card legislation that targets driver’s licenses can have a major impact on community safety. For example, if an ISP database is not updated in a timely manner, and a Police Officer’s FOID Card is accidentally revoked, they can’t drive a police vehicle, patrol a local community or carry a gun.
A person under this bill can be falsely accused and lose their FOID CARD and their right to drive without a single hearing.
What if a person complied with Section 9.5 but the Illinois State Police database is not updated? Or, what if there has been a mistake and you must appeal to have your FOID card reinstated after revocation? That could take months or even years. There is no recourse in the bill as it is presently written. What happens is this: Your driver’s license is revoked. How are these people going to get to work and how are they going to support their families? Of course, the anti-gun crowd doesn’t care!
The Timing of This is NOT Accidental. Governor Pritzker is NOW looking for NEW ways to TARGET and HARASS gun owners in Illinois after he was left embarrassed when over 2 million FOID Card holders rebelled against his gun ban registry on January 1st.
Rest assured, the ISRA will continue to fight for our right to keep and bear arms. Until those rights are restored in Illinois, we will continue our fight and oppose legislation like Senate Bill 2720, and so many others.
If you are NOT a member of the ISRA, now is the time to join. We need the support of every firearm owner in Illinois. Click here to join.
If you are currently a member, you are supporting these efforts, and we thank you.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) has accepted the Protect Illinois Community Act (PICA) rules, and they are in place. However, a formal objection has been filed and has to be heard within 90 days. What does this mean? Probably not much.
Recently the ISRA started consistently producing YouTube videos to help keep Illinois gun owners informed on what is going on in Illinois. The last three videos have had over 200,000 views, and we are up to just under 5,000 subscribers. If you haven’t subscribed to the Illinois State Rifle Association YouTube Channel, please do so. We are trying to reach 10,000 subscribers as soon as possible and want the channel to continue to grow. Here is the link for our newest YouTube Video as well as our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@IllinoisStateRifleAssociation
Please subscribe to our social media and YouTube content to stay up to date on the latest developments. Just click the logos below.
Gun Violence Archive Data Shows More Guns, Less Crime. The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) website data shows 2023 produced fewer homicides (18,906) than in 2022 (20,396) and fewer suicides last year (24,090) than the year before (27,038). This indicates expansion of permitless carry laws, allowing more people to carry firearms for personal protection, did NOT result in more bloodshed as anti-gunners predicted. The data also proves anti-gunners have been wrong about licensed concealed carry and constitutional carry.
Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day
– Private Bus Scheduling –
Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) will be on Thursday, April 18th this year. If your gun club, gun shop, hunting group and/or organization is thinking about bringing a bus to IGOLD with your members, NOW is the time to plan it.
If you are bringing a bus, please let us know by April 1st. The bus parking and shuttle bus will have to be paid for in advance.
Please notify the ISRA Office and speak with Shirley at 815.635.3198 Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm. You can also email Shirely at shirley@isra.org. If you email Shirley, please put BUS NOTIFICATION in the subject line. We will update you on IGOLD as we get closer to the date.
DAN CAULKINS v. GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER LAWSUIT
Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided not to review the Dan Caulkins v. Governor JB Pritzker lawsuit. Many people think that this lawsuit was about the Illinois Assault Weapons Ban, but that is not true. The Caulkins v. JB Pritzker case is about the workings of the Illinois State Legislature and their procedures related to passing the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA). SCOTUS traditionally has not interfered with the procedures, rules, and workings of State Legislative bodies. This is the likely cause why this case was turned down. We would like to remind everyone that the ISRA is NOT involved in any way with the Caulkins v. JB Pritzker case.
Our lawsuit is Harrel v. Raoul, and we are presently working on an appeal for SCOTUS to review our case. That appeal must be presented to the Supreme Court by March 10, 2024. Based on recent rulings by SCOTUS, we have a good chance of winning our case. You can see the video below for more information:
Illinois State Police Won’t Pursue Charges for Unregistered Guns. With under 2% of the FOID card holders registering firearms with the Illinois State Police (ISP), the ISP has announced it will not pursue charges for unregistered guns. The portal reportedly will remain open so people can still register them. For most gun owners in Illinois their act of civil disobedience is sending a message and likely won’t actually result in prosecution. Of course, we hope we will win in our suit at the U.S. Supreme Court!
The ISRA has Long Supported Concealed Carry on Public Transportation. That is now against the law in Illinois. Over the weekend, a man on parole for armed robbery, beat a 61-year-old woman on the Red Line train, leaving her brain dead. Well, this woman may have not wanted to carry concealed, but at least she would have the opportunity to, if it wasn’t against the law, and might be alive today.
NICS Gun Sales for December 2023 and the Rest of the Year. The number of gun sales estimated using the National Instant Background Check System, or NICS, for December of 2023 was about 1.74 million guns. This was the fourth-highest number of gun sales for December in the NICS system. The number of background checks was about 2.73 million. This was the sixth-highest December for NICS background checks. 2023 had the fourth-highest total for gun sales of any year recorded by the NICS system, about 15.31 million, which is virtually tied with the total gun sales for 2016. The total number of privately owned firearms in the United States is estimated at 503 million, or about 1.5 privately owned guns for every individual.
In 1949 Albert Einstein wrote an article in “Monthly Review” magazine in which he addressed his concerns about the national media. In the article, Einstein warned that the very rich would control the means of communication and it would be almost impossible for ordinary people to make informed decisions based on what the media reported. Albert Einstein wrote about the conditions in 1949. He would really be upset about those same issues in 2024, which are much worse than they were in 1949.
Federal Appeals Court Restores Block of California’s CCW ‘Sensitive Places’ Law. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed an earlier order which put a hold on a lower court ruling that blocked California’s new law prohibiting concealed carry in most public places. This is a significant victory for gun rights and Second Amendment advocates.
Bombshell Poll: ‘More Than 20%’ of 2020 Mail Voters Engaged in Election Fraud. A bombshell report from Rasmussen, the veteran polling firm, says a recent survey found, “More than 20% of voters who used mail-in ballots in 2020 admit they participated in at least one form of election fraud.”