courtesy Chicago Sun-Times
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Illinois voters probably consider themselves ahead of the game whenever a governor manages to make it through an entire term without being indicted. That said, current Republican Governor Bruce Rauner isn’t terribly popular in the Land o’ Lincoln. While the election is still six months away, he trails the Democrat nominee by double digits.

He’s also in a tough spot legislatively. Democrats in Springfield have been beavering away for months at a passel of gun control bills. While he vetoed the hated gun dealer licensing bill in March, there are plenty more bills within a single vote of landing on his desk.

Down in the polls, he tried an electoral hail Mary this week. When one of the gun control bills landed on his desk recently — a three-day wait on “assault weapons” purchases — he used Illinois’ amendatory veto process to, in essence, draft his own proposed package of compromise “reforms.”

Basically, he’s proposing to trade a group of the Democrats’ anti-gun want-list items for funding school resource officers and the reinstitution of the death penalty for mass murderers and cop killers. Rauner’s gun control bargaining chips include a 72-hour wait on all gun purchases (it’s currently 72 hours on handguns and 24 on long guns) and a clean bump stock ban. Additionally, he throws in gun violence restraining orders.

To his credit, Rauner’s “Lethal Violence Order of Protection” provision adds civil penalties for those filing “frivolous or vexatious” complaints, including paying all legal fees and court costs of the subject of a bogus confiscation petition.

If you’re wondering what constitutes a “mass murderer” in the Governor’s proposal, it’s two or more killed in one incident. And because Illinois’ famously broken legal system has convicted so many innocent people while letting lots of the worst offenders go (it’s so bad they outlawed capital punishment six years ago), Rauner wants set a higher bar for a death penalty verdict, requiring a finding of guilt “beyond all doubt” whatever that means.

The Democrat-controlled legislature has zero incentive to go along with the Republican Gov.

The changes the governor is seeking require approval by the General Assembly. And if legislators opt to not take up his amendatory veto, the entire proposal will die. Lawmakers can also choose to accept the changes with a simple majority, or push for an override — with 71 votes required in the House and 36 in the Senate.

There’s a chance some measures within his veto will pass on their own, notwithstanding what happens to the package. There’s a bump stock ban bill and a measure to allow family members and law enforcement to petition a court to disarm individuals. Both bills are awaiting action in the Illinois House.

Illinois Dems would rather eat Tide Pods than give Rauner a “win” he can use in his campaign.

The Governor clearly made the political calculation that this move will burnish his law-and-order image, even if the Dems in Springfield tell him to take a hike. And, given the northern Illinois electorate, he probably doesn’t think he can get away with vetoing all of the gun control bills headed his way and this gets him out in front of the issue.

Watching the sausage-making process in Springfield isn’t for the squeamish. Unfortunately, in this batch, one of the first things to be ground up in the process will be Illinoisans’ gun rights.

 

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37 COMMENTS

  1. Another stupid RINO thinking if he gives some gun control legislation that the socialists will vote for him. They vote straight demo commie every time. He was already drowning so he grabbed the anvil thrown to him to survive, well duh !

    • Same in Florida and Vermont. We’ll see, I still expect gun owners and “conservatives” to kick the AWB down the road a few more feet and vote for the evil GOP candidates as the “lesser” of 2 evils.

      • There’s no way *currently* a Florida AWB will gather the needed 60 percent votes to pass as a ballot initiative.

        Unless another nutjob goes ‘Apeshit’…

  2. I have one question , what the hell is happening to our once great nation , are all politicians leftarted , Fudd’s or do they all just want to be ?? Its like the white children acting black. Does no one have any semblance of pride , humanity , and decency. Know right from wrong. I know , more than one question. But they all apply to my point. Controll is what pedophiles are about. Nuff said !!

    • Everyone looks out for themselves first and everyone makes compromise. The problem with politicians is that when they look out for themselves, it hurts everyone else. If I do a task I don’t like at work to keep my job, no one else gets hurt. When a politician does a task they don’t like at work to keep their job, our freedoms get infringed upon. The shame of the whole thing is it’s foolish to expect people to fall on the proverbial sword.

      This is why government should do less and spend less.

    • “are all politicians leftarted , Fudd’s or do they all just want to be ?”

      None of the above. They are simply power-hungry social parasites who are sucking our country dry. Unfortunately, there isn’t a wall long enough against which they can all be lined up.

    • Only a shitbag dedicates his entire life and being to obtaining a job wherein he/she can rule or “govern” other humans. Such is the way of Man.

  3. Death penalty for cop killers but not for grandma killers?
    Nope, Monty, I’ll take what’s behind curtain (D) instead.

  4. When are Republican politicians going to figure out they only lose votes when supporting more gun control. Gun control Democrats are still going to vote for the Democrat. Gun owning Democrats aren’t going to cross party lines just to support a Republican because he calls for gun control. Hard core Republicans might hold their nose and vote for you anyway. Maybe. Gun owning Republicans are just going to stay home. If you want to support gun control, become a Democrat. Or maybe “Muévete a Cuba”.

  5. Meh…it could be worse. Jabba the Pritzger is a helluva lot worse. As is any dumbocrat. No matter what Illinois is screwed.

  6. Every cycle some idiot republicans get reminded that gun control is a loss for them when they get kicked out of office. After that, a new branch of good conservatives come along, serve the public, but slowly sell out. The circle of political life I guess. I think it’s up to us little people to weed out the old dying horses every few years and put some new studs in power, albeit, temporarily. Maybe that’s the whole idea. But what do I know, I’m just a dumbass little person.

  7. Rauner won in 2015 by defeating the Democratic incumbent. What’s changed to put him so far behind this year?

    • Rauner is a billionaire who spent a significant amount of his own wealth to get elected four years ago. He has since alienated the Republican base by signing on to such things as taxpayer funded abortions and “sanctuary state” status for illegals. Rauner narrowly defeated a primary opponent even though he outspent her 8 to 1, because he has done so much to piss us off.

      This time around, the conservatives in Illinois realize there is no conservative candidate for Governor. They won’t vote for J.B. Pritzger, the Dumbocrat candidate. They just won’t vote.

      The crooks will once again have control of the Governor’s Office, as well as the House and Senate. This state will continue its death spiral.

      • Do not forget the Chicago School system bail out money he signed for $1.1 or $1.5 Billion. Now, the rest of Illinois is hold the Chicago debt and paying for it. Chicago is about $10 Billion in the hole, while the state of Illinois is about $12 to $15 Billion in the hole. The Chicago Democrats want to tax us out of this mess they created.

  8. But still, you’re right, Illinois is still screwed. The death penalty will never come back, and bloods and crips will continue kill grandma in Chitcago ad nauseum. Sucks

  9. Republicans are no longer reliable when it comes to defending the Second Amendment. Just as Democrats are no longer reliable when it comes to supporting the First Amendment.

  10. Do any “cop killers” actually make it to jail, much less trial, in Chicago? Re-instating the death penalty for them seems kind of moot.

  11. People convicted of killing Chicago Police Officers were generally considered to be very important cases to go to trial. The best state’s attorneys and defense attorneys generally handle each case. These killers were automatically death eligible. That all changed under convicted felon and former governor Georgie Porgie Ryan. He commuted all of death row to natural life sentence. The current democratic candidate for State Attorney General was responsible for the bill that ended the death penalty in Illinois. Yes the candidate for the highest prosecutor’s office in the state is responsible for ending the death penalty. Now, criminals are eligible for a life sentence but that’s hardly a factor to the killers. The do-gooders keep chipping away at life sentences and they will be next to fall. Illinois is truly in a world of shit.

  12. Well…. thank god im out of illinois soon. Goodbye and good riddance….
    As for rauner….. your re-election chances just went from slim to none.

  13. Rauner is cringe worthy, Prickster is more so. That said he’s trying to play both sides here, and I think it’ll burn him. His run as governor is over, he just doesn’t realize it yet. Those sanctuary counties are going to be needed soon, all the crap that didn’t pass is going to.

  14. I buried the last of my hounds, a pack of five, I had today. She got old like the rest and gave it up. I’m single, they were my best friends and companions for 15 years. We ran roughshod over the timber. The time Stump n Hallo ran a Bobcat up a tree and I knocked it out with a stick,, what a fight that was. The times we went fishing together, hunting, and I never used a gun, I was in the mix with a club, we were the warriors of the woods. I had a line of racoon skulls on my fence that stretched 20 feet. Hallo would swim in the river and help me catch Carp. They protected me and I protected them. My dogs, I will hunt with you when I cross over too. I loved you and you loved me, we will fight to the death again. Stump, Hallo, Zoe Bot, Butter and Bugs, my pals. ….. Tears taste salty

    • Sorry for your loss.

      Now go git yerself a nice puppy. Or maybe a dog from a shelter. And raise her up to be your new best friend. She won’t be like the previous ones, they are all unique. But life with a good dog is always better than life without.

      God bless.

        • @tsbhoa.p.jr,,,, no that story does not have your yellow lab bunny hunt with golf clubs beat. It’s about the connection between humans and dogs, the man fighting a bear with his hounds, or a person fighting a bunny with golf clubs and their dog is the same thing. The ancient alliance between us cave dwellers and our dogs of that era, are still deeply ingrained and hidden in our subconscious, I’m sure you stare at the campfire as I do too, what missing is our dogs munching the mammoth bones we thru them as scraps from our previous kill

  15. This may be a well played hand on the part of Mr. Rauner. He sent legislation back to the democrat controlled legislature that they can’t possibly support. Thus killing any further attempts to infringe on Illinoisans 2A right for this legislative secession. Time will tell and fortunately I don’t live there.

  16. if you live in illinois and own property and guns…get out…get out now…while you still can…while you can still actually sell your house for what you need to pay it off and buy another one in another state

    i moved from illinois to wisconsin 6 years ago

    couldnt be happier

    i now live in a state that ISNT DESTROYING ITSELF

    my tax money isnt being WASTED

    my property taxes havent gone up $100 in SIX YEARS

    property taxes in wisconsin havent been this low in proportion to income in 40 plus years

    jb pritzger actually ran on tax increases

    and the chicago fed thinks illinois should tax property owners 1 percent of their value every year for 30 years

    and the legislature would like nothing more than to pass a statewide law that mimics what they did in deerfield which will only get struck down because it goes against preexisting state law

    so when state law changes so does everything else

    and then all hell will break loose

  17. Another example of why the many states in which one geographically isolated large city dominates the rest of a rural state (IL, NY, WA, OR, possibly PA, FL) must be broken up. CA is another story as it needs to be broken length-wise along a fault line with the western side sliding into the ocean. Breaking up these states would transform the Senate for decades, if not centuries, to come. As I think about it, I am OK with Chicago, NYC, and places like them continuing to fall deeper into the financial and social hole, so long as they fund their lunacy entirely through their own taxes. I am OK with them preventing their residents from carrying handguns or owning AR’s. People are free to move there or leave there, knowing the situation. So long as they don’t foist that crap on the rest of the country. I have no intention of bringing an “assault rifle” into those cities, but leave us in flyover country alone. I would like to see national CC reciprocity so in the increasingly unlikely event I would visit, I could bring a CC gun whether the locals can carry or not. I will even respect their magazine limits just like their road speed limits. When a tourist in a big city, it would be a 6 round pocket carry anyway. Failing all that, good luck to those who live in Illinois.

  18. Illinois will go straight down hill if the Chicago Democrats win the governors election in the Fall. They will just resubmit these and others bills after the election is over.

    House Bill 4208, The bill would award grant monies to districts that did away with armed school resource officers and replaced them with social workers. This is really stupid law that has already passed the Illinois House.

    Here is a list of Bills still in play in Illinois on gun control. It really is not over till the governor votes all of these.

    Senate Bill 1657 and House Bill 1273, Dead for now.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-legislature-rauner-gun-veto-20180425-story.html

    http://www.guns.com/2018/04/26/dems-admit-defeat-on-illinois-gun-dealer-licensing-act-for-now/

    Senate Bill 1657 and House Bill 1273 has been reintroduced as Senate Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 337, would create an onerous gun dealer licensing scheme within the state of Illinois.

    House Bill 1468, would require a 72 hour waiting period for certain commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms and .50 BMG caliber rifles. Current Illinois law requires a 72 hour waiting period for handguns and a 24 hour waiting period for long guns. Gov. Rauner did veto House bill 1468 that imposed a 72-hour waiting period on modern semi-automatic firearms and other weapons, but combined other bills together with other provisions from House Bill 1467.

    House Bill 1467, It would ban bump stocks and trigger cranks. It would require owners of bump stocks and trigger cranks to dispose of them within 90 days.

    House Bill 1465, would deny law-abiding young adults under the age of 21 their Second Amendment rights by prohibiting them from possessing or purchasing commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms, standard capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and .50 BMG caliber rifles. The bill would require adults under the age of 21 to dispose of such firearms within 90 days and to dispose of standard capacity magazines over ten rounds in capacity immediately. In addition, language in the bill would prohibit out-of-state visitors from being present in Illinois for no longer than 24 hours with such firearms or standard capacity magazines.

    House Bill 1469, would ban standard capacity ammunition magazines over 10 rounds in capacity. This bill has no grandfather clause allowing owners of these magazines to keep them, and would instead require that they be disposed of within 90 days.

    House Amendment 1 to House Bill 1470, would arbitrarily limit law-abiding citizens to one handgun purchase a month.

    House Bill 1664, would direct the state police to create a Dangerous Persons Hotline to allow anyone to report individuals who they think present a clear and present danger to themselves or others and who own a firearm without any evidence required.

    Senate Bill 2314, would repeal the firearm preemption law that has been in place since 2013. Preemption law helped pave the way for Illinois to have concealed carry. But, Chicago Democrats gave cities 10 days to put in bans for certain magazines and firearms before the deadline to be exempt during the 10 day window.

    Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2340 will impose broad and vague requirements that far exceed federal law on firearm components. It would prohibit the possession of raw, unfinished receivers, firing pins, and barrels or build components by individuals who are non-FOID card holders.

    Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2343, and Senate Bill 2247, would make it a non-probational Class 2 felony with a minimum sentence of three years imprisonment to merely sell, manufacture, purchase, possess, or carry certain firearm accessories. If these accessories are attached to a loaded firearm, it would be a Class X felony punishable by 6-30 years imprisonment.

    Source: NRA ILA

  19. Well, well the Conservatards are finally forced to face the harsh truth and that is politicians act according to public opinion as do the courts and the Constitution be damned. So what else is new its been like that for decades. The Second Amendment does not have to be repealed its always been a joke as its just ignored by both the politicians and the courts because in reality it really does not exist and never has.

  20. Re: Waiting period… This was actually a sneaky move on Rauner’s part. The law as originally written provided for a 72 hour wait for “assault weapons”, but much more importantly, it would have defined “assault weapons” under Illinois law as any semi-auto (rifle or pistol) that accepts a detachable magazine and is capable of accepting magazines over 10 rounds. Yes, that includes your 10/22, and your WW2-era BHP…

    The whole purpose of this legislation was to get a definition of “assault weapons” on the books. Previous AWB’s (two or three attempts per year, generally) have failed simply because no one could agree what counted as an AW (the Moms and their ilk want all semi-autos banned, while the representatives of “the community” don’t want their constituents charged with AW violations when they “donate” hardware to the CPD); with the original wording of the law as precedent, we would have had a ban in place by this time next year.

    It’s a smart move. Yes, the new text theoretically raises the wait for a long gun, but the all-important definition of “assault weapons” has been stripped out.

    The real genius, though, is the death penalty language. Because of that addition, it is now impossible for any Democrat in IL to vote to approve Rauner’s changes. Now their only choices are to do nothing, in which case the whole thing goes away, or they have to override the veto, and then explain to their low-information voters why they voted to replace a more restrictive law with a “weaker” one…

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