This was a LONG winded response from ISRA. They pride themselves at being at the table with anti-gunners when they are crafting these anti-gun bills. That is a flawed strategy! They helped produce a horrible bill and then actively worked the bill for passage. They put out flawed fact sheets to Republicans and encouraged them to vote for it. There were 8 Republicans that voted for this bill giving it a super majority based on the ISRA green lighting it.
If anti-gunners are going to pass anti-gun laws, make them own it. Don't be part of their team. The anti-gunners crowed about the ISRA being neutral on the bill and lumped them in with the worst anti-gun groups in the nation! The passage of this bill has weakened our lawsuits against FOID.
This is terrible strategy that requires drastic changes at ISRA. ALL other gun groups strongly opposed this ISRA anti-gun bill.
Below is our response to their "alert" addressing their fallacies
The ISRA IS WRONG!
From the ISRA Thursday Bulletin - June 3, 2021 - Executive Directors Message, Richard Pearson:
ISRA: HB562 would allow for people who want a FOID card, or already have a FOID card, to supply fingerprints on a VOLUNTARY basis to the Illinois State Police and if they did so, would not have to renew their FOID cards ever.
IllinoisCarry: This is a way for anti-gunners to get their foot in the door for mandatory fingerprints.
ISRA: HB562 would change the FOID Act by establishing a Board to handle appeals for the FOID card issues. Right now, the law reads that the Director of the Illinois State Police is to do appeals. The Director of the ISP does not have the time or the budget for that, nor the resources. The establishment of an appeals board with a specific time is a much better way to do the appeal process. On that board would be a Public Defender to represent law-abiding citizens which seems fairer.
IllinoisCarry: This is an absolute disingenuous argument. To begin with, the board will be appointed by Gov. Pritzker! Required time lines have been ignored by ISP for decades, the same disregard for time lines has been shown by the CCL Review Board …why would we expect this new time line to be treated any differently? The current process of appealing to the director is a more equitable process. If you have met and submitted the standards required to receive your FOID, you get it. If ISP doesn’t have enough staff to process these appeals, give them the resources to do so instead of hiring Pritzker’s friends to do it. There is no standard for approval of an appeal …It must require clear and convincing evidence to deny a FOID appeal - instead of how Pritzker appointees FEEL about your worthiness!
ISRA: The private sale and purchase of firearms is a part of the Second Amendment in my view. HB562 does not require anyone to go through a dealer. Instead, they can access a portal that does not require registration of the make, model or serial number of the firearm.
IllinoisCarry: This is another disingenuous statement. While you don’t have to include type of gun and serial number in contacting the ISP for a private transfer, you have to include that information in the reporting form to the FFL and the ISP will have full access to those records for 20 years. This is a registration! Also, this puts a burden on folks in parts of the state without readily accessible FFL’s like in Chicago. Plus, FFL’s don’t have to do this, they can refuse to accept the responsibility of record keeping and rightfully so. Should you violate this part of the law twice, you are facing a class 4 felony! The $25 fee to submit the transfer is another burdensome fee for firearm owners.
Why would any group purporting to protect 2nd amendment rights support a bill featuring fee-based, state-registration of private firearm transactions? We want and need the Illinois State Rifle Association to be a stronghold for IL gun owners and trusted protector of our rights. Urge them to oppose this bill or find leadership that will.
Mike