Urge Legislators to Vote NO on motion to override Governor’s Veto

"...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."                 

- Isaiah 2:4                                                 

Gun violence is destroying our communities. As people of faith, we know that more guns are not the answer. Due to your dedication this past legislative session, we passed a guns package (HB1189) that included universal background checks and mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms.

But our gun safety bill was not the only gun legislation that passed that day. 

This concealed carry bill – HB183 – also passed the Illinois General Assembly.  The bill allows for many frightening possibilities, including the following:

Guns Permitted in Establishments with Alcohol Sales

Mixing alcohol with guns is irresponsible and dangerous. As drafted, this bill allows people to carry guns into establishments serving alcohol, including most family restaurants and other places where large amounts of alcohol are consumed.

Unlimited Number of Guns and Ammunition

The bill provides no cap on the number of guns or on the size or number of ammunition clips that may be carried.  Instead, it allows individuals to legally carry multiple guns with unlimited rounds of ammunition, which is a public safety hazard.

Restricting Local Authority to Regulate Guns or Assault Weapons

This bill strips the authority of Illinois “home rule” governments to enact future laws on assault weapons to protect their local communities. This NRA-inspired provision is NOT related to the concealed carry of handguns and should be removed from the bill.

Fortunately, Gov Quinn has proposed changes in the form of an amendatory veto (to see full list of changes click here). The veto would allow this bill to fulfill its original purpose (the regulation of concealed weapons), while challenging the above provisions.   Among other important changes, the governor is proposing:

• NO Guns in establishments that serve alcohol
• A concealed carry limit of one gun per person and only 10 rounds
• Preserves local “home rule” communities’ authority to pass laws that ban assault weapons.

We SUPPORT the Governor’s veto!  Pro-Gun legislators are trying to override these critical changes. It’s up to us to urge our legislators to VOTE NO ON THE OVERRIDE.  Time is short.  The General Assembly will likely take a vote on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. 

Call or e-mail your representative TODAY (click here to look up their contact information)!  You can use the message below for a phone call or an e-mail.

“Hello, my name is ________________.  I support the Governor’s common-sense changes to the concealed carry gun bill. I urge the senator (or representative) to vote NO on the motion to override the governor’s veto.  Thank you.”

Thank YOU for your advocacy!

Urgent: Common-Sense Concealed Carry Bill Stalled

During the 2013 legislative session, PCG, CRS, and our partners, have been advocating for common-sense gun regulations – universal background checks on all gun sales, reporting lost or stolen firearms, and titling handguns similar to car registration – to be included in any gun trafficking legislation considered by the Illinois General Assembly.  The Illinois legislature was ordered by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to craft a law by June 9 that will allow responsible gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public.  Two radically different concealed carry bills are currently moving.

The House passed SB 2193 (Amendment #1), sponsored by Representative Brandon Phelps by a vote 85-30-1 on Friday.  While this new measure bans firearms in some places, it strips all other gun regulations off the books, including assault weapon bans, and would allow nearly unrestricted carrying of concealed weapons.  What’s more, it overrules local municipalities with existing sensible regulations and prohibits towns and cities, including Chicago, from enacting new common-sense gun regulations in the future.

Governor Pat Quinn, Senate President John Cullerton, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are all strongly opposed to SB 2193.  Both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune editorial boards are against SB 2193 and support HB 183 instead.

Contact your Senator and tell them SB 2193 is bad for Illinois and overturning existing local laws will NOT make us safer.  Tell your Senator to support HB 183 Senator Kwame Raoul’s true compromise legislation!

HB 183, sponsored by Senator Kwame Raoul, includes common-sense provisions for mandatory reporting lost or stolen firearms and universal background checks on all gun purchases, unlike SB 2193, which lacks any gun safety measures.  Additionally, HB 183 allows local authorities and law enforcement to pass ordinances regarding who should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon.  We support Sen. Raoul's amendment to HB 183, which was voted overwhelmingly out of committee but has yet to make it to the floor of either house.

Contact your legislators now and urge them to support common-sense gun regulations by voting YES for HB 183 and NO for SB 2193.

This is a crucial time to help stop the flow of illegal guns into our communities.  Since the legislative session ends on May 31, lawmakers will be considering these proposals any day now.  Please don’t delay. The legislative session will end soon, but gun trafficking won’t—unless we take action and make our voices heard.