Illinois State Rifle Association Blasts Legislative Retribution Against Lawful Gun Owners

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

The ISRA is condemning attempts by leftists in the Illinois General Assembly to exact post-election payback against lawful gun owners.  In the weeks since the November elections, gun control advocates in both the House and Senate have introduced dozens of bills designed to severely curtail the rights of lawful gun owners while doing nothing to halt Chicago's spiral into lawlessness.

The most objectionable of bills introduced to date is HB1810 sponsored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan).  If passed, HB1810 would impose a special 3.75% sales tax on firearms and accessories.  Making this bill even more repugnant is that all proceeds from the special sales tax will be funneled directly to radical Chicago-based community activists.  Ironically, under HB1810 lawful gun owners would be forced to fund the very people intent on taking their guns away.

Another unacceptable legislative scheme to restrict lawful firearm ownership is the recently introduced HB0745.  Sponsored by Rep. Marty Moylan (D-DesPlaines), HB0745 would force firearm owners to submit to fingerprinting in order to retain the right to purchase firearms and ammunition.  In effect, Moylan's proposal places a $100 tax on the constitutional right to own and use firearms.  Of course, HB0745 offers no way forward on violent crime.  All the bill does is promise to hit hard at millions of law-abiding Illinois gun owners and hit especially hard at good citizens who are economically disadvantaged.

"This is all about revenge," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson.  "We're tracking about two-dozen gun control bills in the general assembly and none of them, if passed, would have any impact on violent crime.  On the other hand, every single one of the bills promises to stifle the free exercise of Second Amendment rights by the lawful citizen."

"But, then again, gun control is all about punishing citizens who would dare to own firearms," continued Pearson.  "The effort to punish firearm owners is more determined in 2017 in light of the gun-control candidate's loss in the presidential election."

"The ISRA is poised to obstruct and defeat any and all gun control legislation coming before the legislature this session," said Pearson.  "The good people of Illinois are not going to accept political retribution in the form of restrictions on their rights.  It's understandable that the gun controllers are bitter over their nationwide defeats last November.  However, the gun controllers will have to wallow alone in their bitterness because the rest of us will have no part of it."

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership.  For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding firearm owners.

WEB SITE:  http://www.isra.org

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SOURCE Illinois State Rifle Association