Illinois Gun Ban Still a Threat!

Anti-gun extremists in Springfield are more energized and better funded than they have been in years.  In fact, they are so committed to achieving victory in the Illinois General Assembly this year that a “new” organization dedicated to banning your firearms, the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (ICPGV), has emerged as a prominent player.

The ICPGV and other Illinois and national groups promoting attacks on the Second Amendment have money streaming in from anti-gun foundations and well-heeled lawyers who oppose our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

The Illinois Senate poster boy for banning guns is State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-33).  This former top-lobbyist for the Illinois gun-ban movement narrowly won election last November, and he has used his position as State Senator to continue to promote his attacks on law-abiding gun owners.

The primary legislative goal of Kotowski and his anti-gun brethern is Senate Bill 1471, which seeks to ban all .50 caliber rifles, including bolt-action and single-shot rifles.  Kotowski and his supporters view these firearms as easy targets of opportunity, alleging that they are popular among common criminals and terrorists.  But these ridiculous claims could not possibly be further from the truth.

But even if their claims were true, banning guns because criminals or mad men use them is telling honest citizens that their rights and liberties depend not on their own conduct, but on the conduct of outlaws.  Kotowski and his friends are trying to tell us that they will permit us to have only such rights and liberties that criminals and terrorists will allow.  As contemptible as this political attack on our freedom is, it is nothing new.

When inexpensive handguns were targeted, NRA and law-abiding gun owners objected.  When semi-automatic handguns, rifles, and shotguns were next on the list, NRA and its supporters again took action.  And now that .50 cal. rifles are in the anti-gunner's crosshairs, we must raise our collective voices once again.

Please take a moment contact your State Senator at (217) 782-5715 today and urge him or her to oppose SB 1471.

Also, please encourage your friends and family to contact their Senators to urge them to oppose SB 1471.

While there are other anti-gun measures that have been proposed in the Illinois General Assembly, SB 1471 represents the most current threat, and if passed, will embolden the anti-gun movement to push even harder in Illinois.