By John Boch
America’s least popular governor, Pat “Clueless” Quinn, was unceremoniously slapped down by the Illinois House of Representatives yesterday. “By a 78-28 vote, the legislative chamber voted to override Quinn’s rewrite of original legislation that would have made it legal for gun owners to buy ammunition online from Illinois suppliers. It’s already legal to do so from out-of-state suppliers.” His “amendatory veto” also would have created an assault weapons ban in the state, outlawing America’s favorite rifle, the AR-15 and hundreds of similar guns used by residents for personal defense, hunting and recreational shooting . . .
By overriding the veto, the House restored and passed into law the bill’s original language which allowed Illinois Firearm Identification cardholders to buy ammo via mail order from within The Land of Lincoln.
“It’s a pro-business bill. It simply said that residents in the state of Illinois could buy ammunition over the Internet from Illinois companies. Currently, they can buy ammunition over the Internet from all 49 other states but cannot buy it from an Illinois company,” said state Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton), the bill’s chief House sponsor.
But the Governor used a little creative writing to change the bill into his own little assault weapons ban.
So the country’s most popular rifle is still safe in Illinois. For now. While most shooters probably don’t realize it, Illinois is the nation’s scary black rifle capital. A dozen or more companies currently manufacture the guns in the Prairie State. It’s a rare economic bright spot in one of the country’s most economically dysfunctional states.
So while the Governor would like nothing better than to drive them off, his anti-gun move has been rejected. And Illinois gun owners can enjoy a rare victory. Who’d a thunk it?
John Boch is president of Guns Save Life
78 somewhat pro-gun votes? Seems like concealed carry for the last holdout might not be so impossible.
Read a little more carefully. It was 78 pro-business votes. The bill simply allows Illinois firearm owners to purchase ammo online from Illinois merchants, while they could already make online purchases from merchants in all other states. The governor overstepped his constitutional bounds by adding an assault weapons ban and even some that support an AWB, such as Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), voted to strike down the governor’s amendment and enact the original bill into law.
Exactly. The vote sounded less “pro-gun” and more “anti-governor” to me.
“Even supporters of an assault weapons ban, including state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), joined Costello’s call.
“While the governor’s heart may have been in the right place and I agree with the language he put in this bill, it seems very clear the governor overstepped his constitutional bounds in making the changes he made in this bill,” Lang said.”
Let’s hope and pray this will snowball into Concealed carry for all of Illinois and the ability due to more common sense gun laws of all Illinois residents who wish to cc the ability to do so without the dog and pony show circus acrobatics currently required for the State to issue a FOID card.
While the country was busy reelecting Obama, ten counties in Illinois voted for legal concealed carry. The referenda were nonbinding, but the winds of change are blowing. Of course, Gov. Quinn vows to veto any concealed carry passed by the legislature because he knows better than anyone else.
It’s good to have the legislature remind that pompous windbag that he’s not the Hugo Chavez of Illinois.
Quinn isn’t the problem, it’s Speaker of the House Mike Madigan (D) who is the father of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) and even the republicans cowtow to whatever Boss Mike wants.
(Was born and raised in Chicago)
Quinn is unpopular even within his own party. If he chooses to run again, look for a primary challenge. It’s about time for Madigan to install his daughter as Governor.
However, I’ll put my money on Quinn deciding it’s time to move on. . .
The winds of change have been blowing for along time. If it wasn’t for Chicago and the rest of Cook County, a cc law would have been passed years ago. Most of the territory of Illinois is rural and REpubican, but just like California, voters in urban areas in and around Chicago vastly outnumber the voters in the rest of the state.
Why is it that so many arms manufacturers reside in Illinois? If you want change, force it through economics. If all of the firearms manufacturers banded together and sent a letter to the Illinois legislature and Governor that stated that the Firearms ID card requirement needed to be repealed and that concealed carry needed to be passed or the companies would all leave. It would probably less to the reform necessary to get the rights back to the people.
In principle that would be the right thing to do, but moving a company, especially one involved in manufacturing, can be very expensive.
Actually the law makes it clear that you can ship ammo intrastate. It was never illegal per say before but the law was ambiguous. Gov Potatohead is shopping an awb and has been since mid summer. Doubtful it will pass though.
It may not be perfect, but at least it gives Illinois gun owners something back. Best to be thankful for the blessings that actually come.
Outside of Chicago, Illinois is a nice state.
Been to Rockford?
I have no idea what the rules are in Illinois state government, but if they are anything at all like the states I do know about, the governor does not have the authority to re-write a bill. He may sign it or veto it, no more no less. Assuming this state of affairs, this rewrite was nothing but political grandstanding–that backfired massively. Serves him right.
Here in the People’s Republic of Illinois, the governor can re-write and amend a bill, then it’s voted on. That’s exactly what happened in this case.
Baby steps. They’re still steps and headed in the right direction.
Only the mind of politicians controlled by their moody emotions (“it feels good therefore it is true and the best”) or patronizing anti-gun voters would a politician support a bill making it illegal for their citizens to buy ammo from businesses within their own state (online or whatever) while they can easily buy it online from the state next door. If the politicians were serious about their views of guns they would make life so difficult for those gun manufacturers that they would relocate. Speaking of which, while it is costly those Illini-based gun makers really need to seriously consider relocating.
I am sure the Illini gun makers would be welcome here in Arkansas. We have some of the best in the business here now!
Nighthawk Custom, Wilson Combat, Guncrafters(for all you Block Owners 😉 ), and coming soon…WaltherUSA is moving into the Umarex plant in Ft.Smith.
“Come on Illini gun co’s we have plenty of room”!!!
They could all move to Wisconsin, they would all be more then welcome here.
It’s sad that it’s called a victory when we simply don’t suffer a huge infringement on our rights. But I suppose it is a victory, the legislature rejecting such a law, showing that they will not violate our rights. Or business profits.
Good news. I hope next year they can protect your rights there too. Overall the high ownership of ”evil assault rifles” is making it extremely hard to ban them in high ownership states even Illinois. Good job IL senate.
Can someone explain why gun manufacturers base themselves in states that hate them? IL / CT / MA / NY – what gives? Even ignoring the fact that these states HATE the businesses and want to run them out of business, the property in those states is outrageously expensive.
Why not go Ruger and move to AZ / NM / TX / NV / AK or some other free state? You’d think that TX / NV would be outstanding options, seeing as how they don’t have business taxes or personal income taxes….
It has something to do with the fact that many have been in the same location for decades, and that is where their experienced workforce is too. Only Freedom Group seems willing to buy up companies and move them lock stock and barrel to another state, leaving the workforce behind.
All those states were big centers of industries when they were founded. They were also not anti-gun until the last 30-40 years.
Illinois and NY leaned Republican, NY was a red state in 88 and Illinois was red in 1984.
Actually, Illinois was a solid Republican at the state and electoral college level for most of it’s history until the last 20 years…being the party of Lincoln and all.
@ Mr. Obvious –
Sturm Ruger has a manufacturing facility in Prescott, AZ; in addition to the one in Southport, CT.