The Super Tuesday Primary Elections have produced two front runners in the Democrat Party race to become the party nominee for President, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.  For gun owners it really doesn’t matter which one will get the nomination because they are both anti-gun.  Biden has said publicly he will appoint Beto O’Rourke to be in charge of gun confiscation.  If plans like these don’t motivate gun owners nothing will.

SB1966 has reared its ugly head again and is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  SB1966, if passed, would require you to pay for your own fingerprints and your own background check to get a FOID card and force everyone to go through an FFL to transfer firearms.  It would also raise the fee for a FOID card to $20 for five years.  By the time your FOID card is processed, this would cost you between $300 and $400 – a lot of money for a Constitutional Right.  In the haste to get the SB1966 alert out, I made a mistake in the headline on the alert.  I apologize for that error.  SB1966 will go to the Senate Judicatory Subcommittees but that does not mean it is dead.  Please call your Illinois State Senator and tell them not to vote for SB1966.  SB1966 started out as a bail bond bill but the language was stripped out and replaced with new language.  The language in a bill may change but the title does not.  Although this is very misleading it is the way it is done.  There are many bills being passed through Committees with no real language in them.  They typically are titled as a technical change.  The most common wording in a shell bill is changing a word to the same word.  An example would be taking a section in the statutes and change THE to THE.  These bills can be amended quickly and have to be watched constantly.

The FOID Card and ICCL systems are awash with problems. There are some delays in issuing new FOID cards and ICCLs but the more urgent problem is in the renewal of those same cards.  It takes months in some cases, even though there is nothing wrong with the applicants or their applications.  If there is a clerical error on any application they seem to simply disappear into the bureaucracy, never to be seen again.  We keep hearing claims that there is not enough money.  I do not believe that.  We know that $29,500,000 was swept form various Illinois State Police (ISP) funds.  Simple math gives us an idea of how much money was taken in by fees paid by FOID card holders and ICCL holders. 

There are approximately 325,000 ICCL holders.  The ISP receives $120 for each ICCL.  That equals $39,000,000.  Moreover, those cards/licenses are now renewing so the ISP is getting that money again.  I would guess it is about $55,000,000 at this point.  Add to that the money taken in from FOID cards in the last 10 years, and that is another $22,000,000.  That total is $77,000,000.  That is not chump change.  Those monies are coming in every business day so it could even be more than that. 

Under the Administration of Governor Quinn, the staffing level for the FOID Division was 39 people.  Quinn froze hiring and kept the number of employees to 13, or one third of what was required.  Quinn also swept the ISP funds.  Quinn was an enemy of the Second Amendment and it was intentional, I believe.  Governor Rauner also swept funds.  These monies were not tax funds.  They are monies that gun owners paid for a service but are not getting.

There are bills being introduced to fix these problems.  In my opinion, it takes more than laws, it takes a customer service attitude that seems to be lacking.  To be honest, the system either needs to work for the benefit of law-abiding gun owners or it should be scrapped.  There are bills to do away with the FOID card but they are not going anywhere in this General Assembly.

Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-118th Harrisburg) is a sponsor of HB4447.  This bill would allow FOID card and ICCL holders to apply for renewals 180 days in advance and would not affect their expiration date, which means no lost time.

Representative Windhorst also has HB4448 and HB4450.  HB4448 would require the ISP to automatically renew a person’s FOID card if it expires during the term of their ICCL.  This would prevent midterm cancellations of their ICCL which is an ongoing problem.  HB4450 would require the ISP to either act on an appeal for reinstatement because of a denial, revocation or seizure of a FOID card within 30 days or issue a denial of the FOID card within 60 days. 

Representative Dan Caulkins (R-101st Decatur) is sponsoring HB4591 which is very similar to HB4450.  This is the first time in a long time that Representatives and Senators are addressing the FOID card and ICCL problems and trying to fix them.

The Illinois General Assembly will not be in Session next week.  They will return on March 18^th, 2020.

IGOLD is less than a month away.  Please make plans to attend.  We will need all hands-on deck.  The attempt to move SB1966 is an example.  Remember, if your group is taking a bus please let us know.  We need to arrange for parking.  Please visit the IGOLD page for bus details. 

Reminder:  Purchase your IGOLD raffle tickets for a chance to win some great prizes!

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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org

ISRA Air Rifle League
Tuesdays – 8:00-5:00

ISRA International Air Pistol League
Every other Wednesday – 8:00-5:00

Range Work Day
Saturday, March 7, 2020

Women’s Only Basic Pistol Class – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
Saturday, March 7, 2020

.22 Rimfire Steel Challenge
Marksmanship League
Sunday, March 8, 2020

AR15 Maintenance Class
Saturday, March 14, 2020

Defensive Tactics for Concealed Carry Level I
Saturday, March 21, 2020

Illinois Indoor Pistol State Championship – Elgin Rifle Club
March 21 & 22, 2020

IDNR Hunter Safety Course
Thursday, March 26 & Saturday, March 28, 2020

The Well Armed Woman
Sunday, March 29, 2020

Gun & Trade Shows

Mattoon Gun & Knife Show
Cross Country Mall – Mattoon, IL
Dates: March 7 & 8, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $6.00

Kane County Sportsman’s Show
Kane County Fairgrounds – St Charles, IL
Date: March 8, 2020
Hours: Sunday – 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00

Aledo Gun & Knife Show
Mercer County Fairgrounds – Aledo, IL
Dates: March 14 & 15, 2020
Admission: $5.00

Belleville Gun & Knife Show
Belle-Clair Expo Center – Belleville, IL
Dates: March 14 & 15, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $6.00

GAT GUNS Factory Shoot
Dates: March 14 & 15, 2020

Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show
Kankakee County Fairgrounds – Kankakee, IL
Dates: March 14 & 15, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
             Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00

McHenry County Gun Show
McHenry County Fairgrounds – Woodstock, IL
Date: March 15, 2020
Hours: Sunday: 8:00-1:00
Admission: $5.00

Peoria Gun & Knife Show
Exposition Gardens – Peoria, IL
Dates: March 21 & 22, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

PVSA Gun/Sportsman Show
Kendall County Fairgrounds – Yorkville, IL
Date: March 22, 2020
Hours: Sunday: 8:00-1:00
Admission: $5.00

Crown Point Gun Show
Lake County Fairgrounds – Crown Point, IN
Dates: March 28 & 29, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Decatur Gun & Knife Show
Decatur Conference Center & Hotel – Decatur, IL
Dates: March 28 & 29, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Saul Trail Gun Show
Bureau County Fairgrounds – Princeton, IL
Dates: March 28 & 29, 2020
Hours: Saturday: 8:30-4:00
             Sunday: 8:30-3:00
Admission: $2.00

Kane County Sportsman’s Show
Kane County Fairgrounds – St Charles, IL
Date: March 29, 2020
Hours: Sunday – 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00

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