We have been waiting for a ruling from the Illinois Supreme Court on the People v Vivian Claudine Brown case. The Brown case dealt with whether or not the FOID was unconstitutional in the home. The White County Circuit Court has ruled the FOID card is unconstitutional in the home. Because this case dealt with a constitutional question, the case went directly to the Illinois Supreme Court, skipping appellate courts. Today, Thursday June 16, 2022, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its ruling. The Court once again side stepped the question of the constitutionality of the FOID in the home and dismissed the case on procedural grounds. This is the judicial version of ring-around-the-rosy. The vote was 4-3 NOT to hear the case on the merits. The Brown case is remanded back to the White County Circuit Court. In short, we are back to square one. In closing, I will say while the FOID card issue is most important, the ruling is also terribly unfair to Ms. Brown. We will continue to fight on.
The U.S. House of Representatives has proposed H.R. 7910, the so called Protecting Our Kids Act. The titles of bills coming out of Congress are usually the opposite of what the actual goal of the resolution is. This resolution is a monster attacking law-abiding gun owners. Now that the Senate has a proposed bill this should slow down or stop H.R. 7910.
The details of the Senate gun control resolution are not out. The devil is always in the details. Right now, everything is just generalities which is a refined way of describing hot air. The ideas of hardening schools and increased mental health funding are appealing to me, but I don’t trust the rest of it. I hate to be pessimistic but if funds for hardening schools and mental health are in the mix, the challenge will be to see that the funds aren’t hi-jacked.
The committee of 10 Republican and 10 Democrat Senators is interesting. Of the 10 Republicans, none are up for re-election in 2022. Of the 10 Democrat Senators, all are rabidly anti-gun except for Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Anti-gun Senator Chuck Schumer of New York is, of course, jumping up and down with glee.
The June 14 Primary Election results are in. Here are some of the highlights: The big news is that Mayra Flores, a Republican, has won a Special Election against Democrat Dan Sanchez in a blue Texas Congressional District. Flores will serve only until January. She will have to stand for election in the General Election in November. Still, this may be a bellwether for things to come.
Tom Rice of South Carolina was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump. Trump endorsed State Representative Tom Fry in the Primary Election. Fry trounced the incumbent Rice. Fry got 51% of the vote in a four-person race. Rice got slightly less than 25% of the vote.
In Nevada, Trump endorsed Adam Laxalt and garnered 56 % of the vote in a four-person race for U.S. Senator. While these results look promising, the General Elections are the main event. There is a long way to go until November.
Ohio made some great strides in gun rights recently. Ohio Senate Bill 215, which allows Constitutional Carry, has been signed by Governor DeWine. The new law allows Constitutional Carry for qualified adults 21 years or older. Ohio will still maintain its Concealed Carry licenses if people want them. They are a must for people who travel out of state. The Ohio Concealed Carry License can be used as a “stand in” for a NICS check in certain gun shops. I don’t quite know what that means. Open Carry is optional under Ohio law. The Buckeye Firearms Association recommends those exercising Constitutional Carry still get training.
Governor DeWine also signed House Bill 99 which allows teachers to be armed. There is a special 24-hour training class for teachers. The Buckeye Firearms Association developed a class for teachers several years ago. From those I have talked to, I understand that it is an excellent class. Hats off to the Buckeye Firearms Associates for their great work In Ohio.
Colt has received the Golden Bullseye Handgun of the Year Award for the redesigned Anaconda. The Anaconda comes in either a six or eight inch and utilizes an oversized Colt Python action. The redesigned Anaconda comes with adjustable sights and is also drilled and tapped for optical sights. The new Anaconda comes in .44 Magnum only. I have two of the older models of the Colt Anaconda and I have to say they are a pleasure to shoot. I have one in .44 Magnum and one in .45 Colt. They are both extremely accurate.
A new Quinnipiac Universal poll shows public support is at an all-time low for a so-called ban on “assault weapons”. This is the lowest level of support among registered voters for a nationwide ban on the sale of “assault weapons” since 2013. Maybe people are finally seeing that they must be able to defend themselves. The poll also shows 40% of voters think mental health issues are the real problem.
The Miami Police Department plans to hold a gun buyback this Saturday calling it GUNS 4 UKRAINE. The Miami public information officer declined to give her entire name but said the guns would be sent to the Ukrainian military. Oh yeah, I can see that 1873 Colt Single Action Army being sent right over there along with that Parker Brothers Special Grade 28 gauge, which might be worth $100,000 or more, packed in the same box. By the way Miami PD, before you do that, you might want to check Florida statute 790.08 which prohibits doing that. While you are at it, you might want to check International Traffic in Arms Regulations which also prohibits such activities. Did your export license come though yet? I bet it’s on the way. The Miami PD will break state, federal and international law if they do this. Come to think of it, go ahead. I’m sure the anti-gun honchos at the Miami PD would enjoy 20 years in beautiful Fort Leavenworth.