By now most of you know about HB5855 and its terrible provisions. I have been getting lots of calls and emails so I will reiterate the data points in a different way.
Remember, if HB5855 goes nowhere this year, it will be back next year with a different bill number.
Here is what HB5855 does:
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HB5855 bans over 100 types of common rifles, pistols, and shotguns that many people own.
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HB5855 bans firearms with certain features. This is for future use and in case they missed any on their list.
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HB5855 takes away your right to own these common types of firearms or firearms with certain features.
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HB5855 takes away your right to own their definition of so-called assault firearms 300 days after the bill is signed.
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HB5855 forces you to register listed firearms with the government. Registration is always a prelude to confiscation.
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HB5855 forces you to pay the government $25 or sell your firearm out of state.
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HB5855 bans the possession of magazines and sale of magazines over 10 rounds.
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HB5855 turns anyone owning any of these magazines into a felon on the Governor’s signature.
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HB5855 bans every firearm that could be turned into an “Automatic Firearm.”
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HB5855 bans everything that would make a firearm shoot faster. Bump stocks and “switches” would be included.
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HB5855 bans people under age 21 from getting a FOID card and prevents them from exercising their Second Amendment Right.
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HB5855 bans people under 21 from hunting alone.
I know you are angry. You and I have done nothing wrong, but we are the point of their attack. What can you do?
Let’s take a lesson from Clint Eastwood in the film “Pale Rider”. In the film, a prospector named “Spider” finds a huge gold nugget and goes into town to challenge the evil mine owner, Coy LaHood. Spider is quickly shot down by LaHood’s hired gunmen. The Preacher (Clint Eastwood) talks to a worried gathering of prospectors about Spider and what happened to him. The Preacher tells them Spider made a mistake when he went to town alone. A man alone is easy prey. Only by standing together are you able to beat the LaHood’s of the world.
The message here is join together. In this case, join the Illinois State Rifle Association: https://isra.force.com/illinoisstaterifleassociation/s/join-the-isra If you are a member, get your friends to join. Give a gift membership. Just like Spider, those who try to stand alone against these anti-gun maniacs will be destroyed.
We are getting lots of inquiries about when to file witness slips. There is a certain time period to submit witness slips. So far, the hearings that are scheduled are “Subject Matter” hearings. The one that was scheduled for December 9th has been canceled. We will let you know when to be ready to submit witness slips but, in the meantime, you should go through the tutorial on the ISRA website.
Members have been asking if HB5855 passed, will we challenge the law in court. The simple answer is absolutely. There is no part of HB5855 we think is constitutional. I would remind everyone that if this bill does not pass in Lame Duck Session, it will return in the 2023 Spring Session under a new bill number. I would also remind everyone that there may be another bill with a different title that will have the language stripped out of it and language like or similar to what is in HB5855 substituted. The title of the bill will not change. You will have to check the amendments to the bill to get the real meaning of the bill. The last amendment is usually the one to look at.
Lame Duck Session is scheduled for January 4th,5th,6th,7th and 10th by the way.
On the lawsuit front, it looks like Maryland’s “assault weapons” ban has taken one more step toward the Supreme Court of the United States. That is no guarantee the Supreme Court will hear it but if they do, it will have everything to do with us not only in Illinois but the rest of the country.
There are a lot of moving parts on the firearms front across the United States with all kinds of proposed legislation and litigation. The left-wing anti-gun faction along with a well-funded full-fledged attack on the Second Amendment is everywhere. They have far more money than the NRA or any of the pro-gun groups ever had.
The left-wing anti-gunners are never held accountable for the mayhem they cause. They want people to be prevented from owning firearms, period. That is their ultimate goal. One example of the problems they have caused is in New Jersey where the State requires a person to have a good reason to purchase a firearm. Of course, no reason was ever good enough unless you were politically connected. A woman in New Jersey wanted to buy a firearm because she feared for her life and her children’s. But that was not good enough. I believe she tried five times but to no avail. She had also tried to get the police to do something but as we all know, or should know, the police are not required to protect anyone unless they want to. Eventually, she was brutally murdered. The anti-gun crowd didn’t shed a tear or even blink.
HB5855 is a perfect example of what the anti-gun crowd wants. They are not hiding their intentions. HB5855 is not about fighting crime. None of these anti-gun bills have been about fighting crime but rather, they have been about disarming the American people. HB5855 and other bills like it are aimed directly at the law-abiding citizens. In fact, it is a hate crime against law-abiding gun owners.
In this bill, the firearms listed and the features that can be put on firearms that they want to ban are the best self-defense firearms and make self-defense easier. The semiautomatic AR15s, shotguns, or pistols are the best for self-defense, target shooting, and hunting. The great thing about the Second Amendment is that it applies to everyone, rich and poor alike. HB5855 would, if passed, make life even tougher for those people who are economically disadvantaged, or live in bad neighborhoods in Chicago and other cities around the state. These folks live among drug dealers, gangbangers, and criminals of all types. Some people say, ”Well just move away.” Oh yeah, and just where would that be? That isn’t so easy. The passing of HB5855 or similar bills would make everyone easy prey but the economically disadvantaged would be affected most of all.
Then, of course, is the specious argument that banning everything would be worth it even if it only saves one life. Whose life is that exactly? Such incidents that occurred in Highland Park are terrible (we won’t go into the fact that authorities missed the boat that could have prevented all that). The fact is that firearms are reportedly used over 2.4 million times a year for self-defense which undoubtedly saves thousands of lives and injuries. I have stated that I have used my firearms for that purpose. I didn’t report those times because it would only cause myself a headache. I believe the number of times a firearm is used in self-defense is thousands of times more than reported. Is my life or your life worth less than someone else’s life? I don’t think so. Life is a dangerous game; in the end, everyone dies. HB5855 and similar bills must be stopped. Please help by joining the ISRA or if you are already a member, donate or recruit a new member. You could do both you know.
We all know we should avoid places that make us vulnerable to attack. One of those places not on the list is a McDonald’s parking lot at 8:30 in the evening. Last week a fellow was enjoying his Big Mac outside his vehicle in Florida. He was suddenly and viciously attacked by someone he did not know. There was a disparity in size between the attacker and the smaller intended victim. In another case of poor victim selection, the intended victim was smaller but was a concealed carry permit holder. He shot the attacker once. The result was the attacker was DRT (Dead Right There). As they say in Missouri, Oh well! Once again, the lesson is that it can happen anywhere at any time. Be ready.
In Atlanta, Georgia, a 77-year-old lady saw someone trying to steal her SUV. She went out to confront him and was promptly brutally stabbed to death. The lady lived in a gated community. The criminal had a rap sheet as long as your arm and should have been in prison but of course was not. The soft on crime mayor of Atlanta never said a peep about the criminal. The son of the murdered woman lamented “you are not as safe as you think you are”. Correct, remember that.
A few years ago, we had a Second Amendment Sanctuary County movement in Illinois. A few days ago, Iroquois County passed a resolution advising the State of Illinois that they oppose HB5855.
Link to Iroquois County Resolution: https://isra.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Iroquois-County-Resolution-opposing-HB5855.pdf Please ask your County Board to do the same thing. I would contact every County Board member in your county.