ISRA Thursday Bulletin - January 3, 2019
Published: Thu, 01/03/19
ISRA Thursday Bulletin - January 3, 2019
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Executive Directors Message
It is the New Year and a sample of the challenges gun owners will face has already reared its ugly head. The problem is SB337, a bill Governor Rauner has said he would veto but he may not get the chance. SB337 could survive the 100th General Assembly even though it is not supposed to. The reason for this is a flaw in the Illinois Constitution. The term used is sine die which means all legislation will die upon adjournment of the General Assembly. That is normally how it works. The Illinois Constitution provides the new Governor will be sworn in on the 2nd Monday of January and the General Assembly will be sworn in on the 2nd Wednesday of January. The problem is that this New Year’s fell on Tuesday which means the General Assembly will be sworn in first. Normally, that is not a big deal but this year it is. The reason it is going to be a big deal, at least for gun owners, is because of SB337. The Constitution requires that a bill must be certified and sent to the Governor in 30 days. To keep all of this straight in your mind it looks like it could work this way: SB337 has a hold on it, placed there by John Cullerton, the very anti-gun President of the Illinois Senate. If the hold is taken off and sent to Governor Rauner, it will be vetoed and that will be that (at least on SB337). If the hold is taken off and certified by the new General Assembly, the bill will be sent to newly elected Governor Pritzker and he will sign it. The question is this: Can the new General Assembly certify a bill it has not passed? The Illinois Constitution of 1970 does not address that question. The Illinois Constitution simply says it must be certified by the General Assembly. The reason is simply that the Framers of the Constitution never foresaw this problem. The idea of a hold was to work out technical issues in a bill. In this case the hold was used for political advantage which is not nice but, nevertheless, that is how it was used and there is no prohibition against it. The courts may have to decide that one. Situations like the one involving SB337 expose the dangers of government and how the rules can be manipulated. Humans created government in an attempt to bring some sort of order into society. In the movie The Patriot, Mel Gibson’s character questions war with the King of Great Britain with the question, why should I trade 1 tyrant 3000 miles away for 3000 tyrants one mile away? The reason for the question is that all governments can be tyrannical no matter what their form. The problem with governments and the people who create them is that there develops an immediate need for self-preservation that can easily turn dark and vicious. Democracy is supposed to control the dark side of government but clearly has not. The States of Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey and others prove my point. Governments and the power of those governments are like a drug that is needed to stay alive. With drugs we entrust doctors and pharmacists to prescribe and oversee their administration so we don’t take too much. Too much of any drug can kill us. We elect legislators, governors and judges to act in a similar capacity with government. The problem is we have elected political drug addicts. Thanks for being a member. Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar For more information, visit www.isra.org Saturday, January 5, 2019 Range Work Day Illinois Concealed Carry Renewal Class Tuesday, January 8, 2019 Air Rifle League & Practice Saturday, January 12, 2019 Winter Wars XV ISRA Concealed Carry Renewal Class Saturday, January 19, 2019 New RSO Orientation Illinois Gun & Trade Shows Joliet Moose Gun Show Joliet, IL – Joliet Moose Lodge Date: January 5, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00 Admission: $6.00 Peoria Gun Show Peoria, IL – Exposition Gardens Dates: January 12 & 13, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $6.00 Kane County Sportsman’s Show St Charles, IL – Kane County Fairgrounds Date: January 13, 2019 Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30 Admission: $5.00 Champaign Gun Show Champaign, IL – Hilton Garden Inn Dates: January 19 & 20, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $6.00 Kankakee Gun Show Kankakee, IL – Kankakee County Fairgrounds Dates: January 26 & 27, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $6.00 Galesburg Gun Show Galesburg, IL – Knights of Columbus Dates: January 26 & 27, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $5.00 Check out ISRA's website at www.isra.org! Tell us what you think! |