The Land of Lincoln’s mandatory gun registration scheme kicked off on October 1st. The Illinois General Assembly has burdened the state’s residents with both the SAFE-T Act (otherwise known as “no cash bail”) and the laughably named Protect Illinois Communities Act which is a gun, magazine, and accessory ban.
The PICA gun and magazine ban includes a mandatory registration window for existing owners of the kinds of firearms most effective for self-defense along with being very useful for other lawful purposes. The registration window closes at the end of the year.
The Illinois State Police actually published the results from week one of the registration period. The numbers are humiliating to the law’s champions, including Governor (and aspiring presidential candidate) J.B. Pritzker.
Frankly, it’s shocking that they’d publicly admit to the actual numbers. So far, just over 1,000 Illinois gun owners or four ten-thousandths of one percent have registered their newly-banned firearms and accessories. That’s .0004%.
Will they clear the 1% compliance hurdle by the end of October? At this point it seems like a tall order. Maybe they can spend a million tax dollars on public service announcements for residents to push the registration over that line.
From The Center Square . . .
With Illinois’ gun and magazine ban still facing legal hurdles in federal court, a registry created in relation to the ban has been open for a week. A fraction of a percent of gun owners have complied so far.
As part of the Protect Illinois Communities Act that was enacted earlier this year, the registration portal for firearms owners in Illinois that own certain semi-automatic firearms, accessories and ammunition opened Oct. 1. While the law bans more than 170 semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and handguns, it also bans handgun magazines over 15 rounds and rifle magazines over 10 rounds. Magazines do not have to be registered.
Illinois State Police published the first round of statistics Tuesday, and of more than 2.4 million Firearm Owner ID card holders, 1,050 individuals have registered a total of 3,202 firearms, .50 caliber ammunition and accessories.
“You’re at 0.0004%. That’s a rounding error,” gun rights advocate Todd Vandermyde told The Center Square.
Of the 3,202 items disclosed, ISP said there were 2,060 firearms listed at the registry. ISP did not provide a breakdown of what types of firearms were registered. For .50 caliber ammunition registrations, there were 1,125 disclosures. There were only 17 reported accessories being registered in the first week. Vandermyde said that highlights the vagueness of what is an accessory.
One would think with such powerfully-named laws inflicted upon delivered to us by the Illinois legislature that crime and violence would have been tamed. If only. Murder City, USA reached a nation-leading 500 homicides last week. And if you’re wondering who’s paying the biggest price for Chicago’s far-left social and criminal justice experimentation . . . .
It doesn’t get much more “progressive” than that.
What does an average day look like in the land of peace, harmony, and progressive politics? Why, I’m glad you asked.
Though what we see here is pure criminality, Chicago’s progressives will attempt to explain this criminal incident as the result of vague socioeconomic factors which should strip the shooters of any agency for their actions.
Video: @CPD1617Scanner. pic.twitter.com/zHEpSTdHMU
— Chicago Contrarian (@ChicagoContrar1) October 9, 2023
Everyone knows what the inevitable result of gun registration is. In fact, sources tell us at Guns Save Life that Governor Jelly Beans has already signaled his support for new legislation to “close the existing owner loophole.”
The push would come next year once the registration window has closed, following a high profile, news-making shooting. The contemplated legislation would give those who have registered their guns and gear 90 or 120 days to surrender it all to authorities or get it out of the state.
As I wrote at Guns Save Life . . .
Something else to think about: Will Rep. Bob Morgan introduce a new bill in January to “close the existing owner loophole” and demand owners surrender all registered guns, mags & parts?
Sources inside the Pritzker administration have hinted that the governor will advocate for just such a “close the existing owner loophole” law immediately after the first mass casualty event after registration closes. Especially if it happens in IL.
Rabid gun control and confiscation schemes are but a small price to pay to enjoy the peace, brotherhood, and tranquility that reign on the streets of the progressive utopia known as Illinois.
