latest anti-gun rant 3-19

[Tvandermyde]

I'll put his on two posts. First is the web post the second is their paper on SB-1840. boy that one has their underware in a knot.

 

3/18/10 – Legislative and Media News

 

We Still Need You to Call and Email Legislators and Ask Them to Support Universal Background Checks! SB 3709 (Kotowski) was assigned to the Senate Public Health Committee Subcommittee on Special Issues. As of this week, a date for the committee hearing has not been set.

 

Click here to call the members of the Subcommittee and ask them to SUPPORT SB 3709!

 

And don’t forget to ask your Senator to support and co-sponsor SB 3709!

 

New Fact Sheet in Response to Bill that Will Lower the Minimum Age to Buy and Own Guns. SB 1840 (Forby), a bill that would lower the age that a person may apply for and be issued a Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card without the consent of a parent or legal guardian to 18 years of age, passed through the Senate and is now in the House.

 

By lowering the FOID card age to 18, young adults ages 18-20 would be able to purchase handguns, rifles (including large capacity military-style assault weapons and rifles), and shotguns from unlicensed dealers (i.e., private sellers) without background checks. They would also be able to purchase rifles and shotguns from licensed gun dealers at gun stores and gun shows.

 

Click here for the new fact sheet on why legislators should oppose

SB 1840.

 

Email your Representative today and ask them to oppose SB 1840.

 

Military-Style Weapon and Ammo Ban Bill Passes through House Cmte! HB 5751 (Acevedo) passed through Executive Committee and is headed for a House vote. This measure would make it unlawful to manufacture, sell and possess semiautomatic assault weapons, large capacity ammunition feeding devices and 50 caliber sniper rifles and cartridges.

 

Click here for more information on banning military-style weapons and ammunition and HB 5751.

 

Report on NIU Valentine’s Day Massacre Shooter Released. The Northern Illinois University released a 300 page report, including a psychological profile, analyzing what may have driven Steven Kazmierczak to plan and execute one of the worst college shootings ever. The report states that Kazmierczak had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a severe mental illness characterized by a “combination of schizophrenia and a mood disorder such as manic-depression.” In addition, he owned four guns and purchased three more, as well as Glock magazines, in the months preceding the shootings (Chicago Tribune, 3/18). For media coverage on the report, click here.

 

Meanwhile, the gun lobby remains opposed to legislation that will help keep dangerous weapons away from individuals like Kazmierczak. They remain opposed to legislation that would require background checks for all gun sales to help determine whether a person is prohibited from owning a gun because of their mental illness. And they are opposed to legislation that would ban the military-style weapons and ammo favored by school shooters. In addition, the gun lobby continues to support legislation that will make it easier for young adults and college students, including those with mental illness, to access firearms. People like Kazmierczak should not be able to access guns.

 

Make a difference and take action on pending legislation today

[Tvandermyde]

Lowering the Minimum Age to Buy and Own Guns

 

SB 1840 (Sponsored by Senator Forby) – Oppose

 

What does it mean?

 

Illinois law requires a valid Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card to acquire or possess firearms.¹ Currently in Illinois, the minimum age to apply for and be issued a FOID card is 21 years of age. Young adults, teens, and children under the age of 21 can apply and be issued a FOID card, but only with the written consent of their parents or guardian.²

 

SB 1840 would lower the age that a person may apply for and be issued a FOID card without the consent of a parent or legal guardian to 18 years of age. By lowering the FOID card age to 18, young adults ages 18-20 would be able to purchase handguns, rifles (including large capacity military-style assault weapons and rifles), and shotguns from unlicensed dealers (i.e., private sellers) without background checks. They would also be able to purchase rifles and shotguns from licensed gun dealers at gun stores and gun shows.

 

What would it really do?

 

The minimum age requirement of 21 years is intended to decrease youth access to firearms and decrease the number of suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings of children and youth. SB 1840 will make it even easier for young adults with mental illness and youth involved in gangs to access guns.

 

Currently in Illinois, large capacity military assault weapons, rifles, and ammunition are not banned. Under SB 1840, young college students could legally purchase large capacity assault rifles and ammo while living in dorms, making it easier for them to engage in violent behavior on campus, including executing school shootings.

 

What are the facts?

 

· After unintentional injuries, the leading causes of death for Illinois youth ages 18 to 20 are homicide (92% committed with firearms) and suicide (28% committed with firearms).³ Making it easier for this age cohort to access guns will only increase gun violence among and death for young people.

 

 

· Studies suggest that the brain development of teenagers and young adults in their early twenties is far different than that of older adults, even those in their mid-twenties. That is in part why teens are more likely to engage in high-risk behavior and seek out emotional situations. The area of the brain that “puts a limit on risky, impulsive behavior” is not fully developed until the twenties. In fact, scientists believe that the brain is only truly mature at the age of 25.⁴,⁵

 

 

· Gun-owning college students have a greater propensity for engaging in risky, sometimes violent, behavior than non-gun owning students.⁶

 

 

· Signs of severe mental illness, including schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, often do not appear until the late teens or early twenties.⁷,⁸ By lowering the FOID card age, young adults with severe mental illness may be able to successfully apply for a FOID card and purchase a firearm before they have a mental health record that would come up in a background check.

 

 

· Offering young people easy access to firearms will likely lead to more college campus suicides.⁹

 

What are the current state and federal minimum age requirements?

 

Handguns

Under federal law, federally licensed firearm dealers (FFLs) are prohibited from selling or delivering handguns or handgun ammunition to any person the dealer knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under the age of 21.¹⁰ Unlicensed persons may not sell, deliver or otherwise transfer a handgun or handgun ammunition to any person the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under the age of 18.¹¹ In addition, Illinois prohibits any person under the age of 18 from possessing a concealable firearm and prohibits any person from knowingly selling a concealable firearm to any person under the age of 18.¹²,¹³

 

Long Guns

Federal law only prohibits licensed dealers from selling or delivering shotguns and rifles to individuals under the age of 18.¹⁴ In addition, federal law provides no age limitations for long gun possession or for the sale by an unlicensed person of a long gun or long gun ammunition. Current law in Illinois allows persons under the age of 18 to purchase or possess long guns if they have lawfully obtained a FOID card, which requires the consent of a parent or guardian.¹⁵

 

Do other states and jurisdictions require a minimum age of 21 for firearm sales and possession?

 

· Minimum age of 21 is imposed for all handgun sales, from licensed or unlicensed sellers: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Boston, and New York City.

 

 

· Minimum age of 21 is imposed for possession of handguns: Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Boston, and New York City.

 

 

· Minimum age of 21 is imposed for all long gun sales: Hawaii, Massachusetts (large capacity rifles and shotguns), District of Columbia, Boston (short barreled shotguns and rifles), and New York City.¹⁶

 

1 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/2(a)(1),(2).

2 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/4(a)(2)(i).

3 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Leading Causes of Death Reports, 2006.

4 Claudia Wallis, “What makes teens tick.” Time, 26 Sept 2008.

5 National Institute of Mental Health, “Teenage Brain: A work in progress.” National Institute of Mental Health, 2001.

6 Matthew Miller, David Hemenway & Henry Wechsler, Guns and Gun Threats at College, 51 J. Am. Coll. Health 57, 63 (Sept. 2002) (study focused on gun ownership and gun threats on college or university campuses, regardless of whether those schools allowed firearms on campus).

7 National Institute of Mental Health, “Teenage Brain: A work in progress.” National Institute of Mental Health, 2001

<A title="" href="http://www.icpgv.org/icpgv_policy9.html#_ftnref8">8 National Institute of Mental Health, The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America.

9 Between 9% and 11% of college students seriously considered suicide in the previous school year according to American College Health Association, National College Health Assessment, Data Highlights, at (providing data from Spring 2000 – Spring 2006). When a gun enters the picture, the suicide attempt becomes considerably more lethal, as over 90% of gun suicide attempts are fatal. Matthew Miller et al., Household Firearm Ownership and Rates of Suicide Across the 50 United States, 62 J. Trauma 1029, 1029 (Apr. 2007)

10 18 U.S.C. 922((1), ©(1).

11 18 U.S.C. § 922(x)(1), (5).

12 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3.1(a)(1).

13 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3(A)(a).

14 18 U.S.C. 922((1), ©(1).

15 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/3(a), 65/4(a)(2)(i)

16 Legal Community Against Violence, Regulating Guns in America: An Evaluation and Comparative Analysis of Federal, State and Selected Local Gun Laws, 2008 Edition.

[GarandFan]

By lowering the FOID card age to 18, young adults ... would be able to purchase handguns, rifles ... and shotguns from unlicensed dealers (i.e., private sellers) without background checks.

 

Sheesh. It takes them a mere single sentence to contradict the truth.

 

The truth, of course, is that FOID card holders have already been background checked. That sentence above is flatly disingenuous.

 

I believe the BG check redundancy argument is the strongest argument against these nonsense issues.

[Thirdpower]

Really makes you wonder how many pairs of shorts these people go through in a day.

[pyre400]

Really makes you wonder how many pairs of shorts these people go through in a day.

 

 

To them.. their sh!t smells like roses... I'm betting they dont change them for weeks.

[cherryriver]

The timing of the NIU report is pretty smelly, too. Let's see. The police investigated the event back in February 2009.

In March, 2010, as the event has faded into the distance for most people, a highly-charged report is suddenly completed, published, and trumpeted loudly across the media firmament that just so happens to coincide with the Daley/Joyce massive pre-McDonald onslaught (replete with Pfleger yelling into microphones).

My, what a coincidence.

[Lou]

Do other states and jurisdictions require a minimum age of 21 for firearm sales and possession?

 

· Minimum age of 21 is imposed for all handgun sales, from licensed or unlicensed sellers: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Boston, and New York City.

 

 

· Minimum age of 21 is imposed for possession of handguns: Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Boston, and New York City.

 

 

Using this logic, 48 other states allow some level of RTC so Illinois should jump on the bandwagom too.

[Ol'Coach]

Using this logic, 48 other states allow some level of RTC so Illinois should jump on the bandwagom too

 

Yep, and with no FOID requirement!!

 

(NJ has something similar, but it's called a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card)

[Yas]

Todd I seriously wonder sometimes how you keep your sanity in Springfield surrounded by some of these Chuckle-heads.

 

 

Scotch can only do so much.

[Tvandermyde]

Heineken, range time and the sweet satisfaction that they walk away empty handed year after year.

[Yas]

Heineken, range time and the sweet satisfaction that they walk away empty handed year after year.

Not all necessarily in that order!