A Bridge Too Far (A Call to Action 1/14/2024)

[mauserme]

A Bridge Too Far

 

Many know “A Bridge Too Far” as a 1977 film based on the novel by Cornelius Ryan. It tells the story of the World War II Allied offensive, Operation Market Garden, during which an all out push was made to capture several bridges in occupied territory. While some small gains were made into occupied Netherlands, it's goal was never realized and the operation failed. The book and movie are named after a comment attributed to Lieutenant General Frederick Browning, “I think we may be going a bridge too far."

 

One year ago, in January 2023, the Illinois Legislature passed the Protect Illinois Communities Act banning possession of most modern firearms and requiring registration of firearms by those wishing to keep their property under a sort of grandfather clause. At the time, some recognized this as Illinois' anti-gun bridge too far. Senate President Harmon, for example, offered a version without the required registration. He was roundly shouted down by Speaker Welch on the floor of the House, with Governor Pritzker goading him on behind the scenes.

 

After becoming law It quickly became clear that things would not work as planned. Being written by people who don't understand firearms, the law is essentially incomprehensible. With few exceptions, Illinois Sheriffs have made clear that they will not enforce it and will not house anyone arrested for violating it. Even the Illinois State Police have turned the January 1, 2024 registration deadline into a suggestion, offering administrative rules that amount to little more than trying to put lipstick on this pig, trying to find a way to put into practice a law that makes no sense to them or anyone else. And what of Illinois gun owners? A little over 1% of the 2.4 million FOID card holders have registered something.

 

This law is truly Illinois' bridge too far.

 

It's common for failed leadership to spin their losses into seeming success. Field Marshall Montgomery categorized Operation Market Garden as a partial success, much as Governor Pritzker called this law a success when he said, “Many people already have registered and, we don't know the number of people that have those assault weapons in hand. What we know is it's going to be vastly fewer than 2.4 million FOID card holders. “ The Governor may chuckle and attempt to dismiss the truth, but he can't hide the fact that this is his personal bridge too far. Montgomery has been described as suffering from “an overbearing conceit and an uncontrollable urge for self promotion.” Like his Operation Market Garden, history will recognize this law of Governor Pritzker's as the failure that it is.

 

The Illinois Legislature returns to business Tuesday, 1/16. What gun rights bridges will they try to take next?

 

Please join us as we continue to monitor potential new laws. Your help is needed to protect our rights!

 

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[mab22]

On 1/14/2024 at 6:57 PM, mauserme said:

A Bridge Too Far

Even the Illinois State Police have turned the January 1, 2024 registration deadline into a suggestion, offering administrative rules that amount to little more than trying to put lipstick on this pig, trying to find a way to put into practice a law that makes no sense to them or anyone else.

 

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Here is where I think the opportunity to give the Fat Far left Marxist Governor, Speaker, and President of the senate a black eye.

If I actually had access to the attorneys I would be asking them how I can drag Pritzker into court and find out where the Gov, State Police, have the authority to DISREGARD the LAW'S dates? They, the Executive branch, are under no authority to say what the registration dates are, nor is JCAR, when the law was signed by the governor, it has/had specific closing dates for registration, it wasn't open ended.

 

Otherwise we are a lawless state.

 

If they want to leave the registration open, then they need to FIX the law allowing them to do so.

 

 

 

[Tip]

On 1/14/2024 at 9:55 PM, mab22 said:

 

Here is where I think the opportunity to give the Fat Far left Marxist Governor, Speaker, and President of the senate a black eye.

If I actually had access to the attorneys I would be asking them how I can drag Pritzker into court and find out where the Gov, State Police, have the authority to DISREGARD the LAW'S dates? They, the Executive branch, are under no authority to say what the registration dates are, nor is JCAR, when the law was signed by the governor, it has/had specific closing dates for registration, it wasn't open ended.

 

Otherwise we are a lawless state.

 

If they want to leave the registration open, then they need to FIX the law allowing them to do so.

 

 

 

Call your State legislator critters and ask them to introduce a bill to repeal the law since the Executive Branch is not following the passed law and indicates they have no intention to. 

[mab22]

On 1/14/2024 at 10:19 PM, Tip said:

Call your State legislator critters and ask them to introduce a bill to repeal the law since the Executive Branch is not following the passed law and indicates they have no intention to. 

1. He's a democrat and Fred Crespo isn't going to do squat.

2. If it was a republican they have no power.

 

[Euler]

On January 14, 2024 at 09:55 PM CST, mab22 said:→

... find out where the Gov, State Police, have the authority to DISREGARD the LAW'S dates ...

Police, prosecutors, and judges have discretion not to arrest, prosecute, and convict for anything at any time, as long as it's not corrupt, capricious, etc. They're supposed to exercise discretion when enforcing the law creates consequences worse than there would be from not enforcing the law. It's certainly possible for them to abuse the discretion (*cough*Smollett*cough*).

The law doesn't say that registration must close. It says people would be in violation of the law if they didn't register their weapons by January 1. After all, new residents who bring their firearms with them and current residents who inherit firearms must be able to register their firearms. The ISP has already said it's not going to arrest anybody for PICA violations, even before the deadline issue. So not reporting late registrations to local PDs and local prosecutors actually doesn't add anything to ISP's original lack of intent to enforce the law.

Meanwhile, the ISP cannot speak for those local PDs and local prosecutors, who may still choose to arrest and prosecute anyone they find to be in violation of the law, no matter what ISP says about ISP policy. As far as I know, no prosecutor or judge has granted blanket immunity from prosecution for registering late. If registering was a 5th Amendment violation before ("Hey, I have a weapon"), registering late is double that ("Hey, I have a weapon, and I blew off the deadline").

[mab22]

On 1/15/2024 at 1:23 AM, Euler said:
The law doesn't say that registration must close. It says people would be in violation of the law if they didn't register their weapons by January 1. After all, new residents who bring their firearms with them and current residents who inherit firearms must be able to register their firearms. The ISP has already said it's not going to arrest anybody for PICA violations, even before the deadline issue. So not reporting late registrations to local PDs and local prosecutors actually doesn't add anything to ISP's original lack of intent to enforce the law.

Is there a new resident exception? Of the categories that are exempt, what if they retire or leave, or loose their job and they never registered?

There may be something about transferring. However, it states… Your only exempt from prosecution “if you register before Jan 1 2024.”

When does it become “entrapment”?

 

 

 

[Euler]

720 ILCS 5/24-1.9 said:

...

(d) ...
Except as provided in subsection (e) and beginning on January 1, 2024, any person who moves into this State in possession of an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge shall, within 60 days, apply for a Firearm Owners Identification Card and complete an endorsement application as outlined in subsection (d).
...

...

There's a similar provision for inheritance.

If someone loses their exempt status, then they lose their exempt status.

[DoYouFeelLucky]

Just put the state of IL on eBay and let China and Russia fight it out on the bidding.

[TomKoz]

China already won.

[mab22]

On 1/15/2024 at 5:27 PM, Euler said:

There's a similar provision for inheritance.

If someone loses their exempt status, then they lose their exempt status.
 

So as of Jan 1 anyone who has, what the state describes as a scary weapon, you had to register it or it was a misdemeanor for the First time and felony for the second, etc etc, yadda yadda. All sorts of teeth gnashing.
NOW the fat far left Marxist tyrant Governor, and the state police are saying you still can register and we won’t prosecute. So now the date of Jan 1 2024 is merely a suggestion or “request”, I get the whole discretion thing but this is just a face saving measure on their part. 
 

[Tip]

On 1/16/2024 at 8:42 AM, mab22 said:

So as of Jan 1 anyone who has, what the state describes as a scary weapon, you had to register it or it was a misdemeanor for the First time and felony for the second, etc etc, yadda yadda. All sorts of teeth gnashing.
NOW the fat far left Marxist tyrant Governor, and the state police are saying you still can register and we won’t prosecute. So now the date of Jan 1 2024 is merely a suggestion or “request”, I get the whole discretion thing but this is just a face saving measure on their part. 
 

So if the “date of Jan 1 2024 is merely a suggestion or “request”” is the whole registration thing also “merely a suggestion or “request””???

[SiliconSorcerer]

Suggestion until they come and confiscate them

[mab22]

On 1/16/2024 at 9:05 AM, Tip said:

So if the “date of Jan 1 2024 is merely a suggestion or “request”” is the whole registration thing also “merely a suggestion or “request””???

That's pretty much my point.

[Jeffrey]

On 1/16/2024 at 9:10 AM, SiliconSorcerer said:

Suggestion until they come and confiscate them

For all it's worth:

[skinnyb82]

What else do they have in store? Well, SB2720, Our friend Morrison's bill to suspend your DL if you get your FOID revoked and fail to return your FOID to ISP as well as dispose of your firearms.

[Upholder]

JCAR approved the ISP rules today, 1/16/2024, with the deadline for registration being 1/1/2024.
 

 

[Howard Roark]

On 1/14/2024 at 10:19 PM, Tip said:

Call your State legislator critters and ask them to introduce a bill to repeal the law since the Executive Branch is not following the passed law and indicates they have no intention to. 

 

This is exactly right and should be the statement spoke or written immediately after pointing out that the executive branch (ISP, governor, etc) are failing to follow the law as written.

 

It would be preferred that the law not be inforced because it is harmful and illegal, but showing thier hypocrisy is helpful. Everybody knows that their intention is a one way rachet to total civilian disarmament, first clearing out all the scary rifles, then later, clearing out the hanguns.

[mab22]

On 1/16/2024 at 9:00 PM, Howard Roark said:

 

This is exactly right and should be the statement spoke or written immediately after pointing out that the executive branch (ISP, governor, etc) are failing to follow the law as written.

 

It would be preferred that the law not be inforced because it is harmful and illegal, but showing thier hypocrisy is helpful. Everybody knows that their intention is a one way rachet to total civilian disarmament, first clearing out all the scary rifles, then later, clearing out the hanguns.

Will it really make a difference for those of us with Democrat Senators and Congress people?

[Tip]

On 1/16/2024 at 10:18 PM, mab22 said:

Will it really make a difference for those of us with Democrat Senators and Congress people?

It might if you can convince them that the Executive is giving them the finger — telling them that the law they passed doesn’t apply and doesn’t matter…..  Most politicians don’t like being told to FO and that they’re irrelevant which is exactly what the Executive is doing….

[mab22]

On 1/16/2024 at 10:35 PM, Tip said:

It might if you can convince them that the Executive is giving them the finger — telling them that the law they passed doesn’t apply and doesn’t matter…..  Most politicians don’t like being told to FO and that they’re irrelevant which is exactly what the Executive is doing….

@mauserme Are we doing this as a call to action with some pre written statements that we can use? 
Im sure my congress critter is pretty much irrelevant in the party other than a guaranteed vote for whatever the “D” team tells them. Crespo.
However! 
This may have election mud to be thrown. 
Politician “X” passed a law, PICA, and didn’t anything when the executive branch 💩 all over the law and didn’t enforce the law as written. 
How do we FORMALLY call these people out and get them on the record as party chumps, that don’t give a hoot as to what is going on. 

[mauserme]

I understand what you're saying but we don't have any plans along those lines.  We  don't really want to encourage actual enforcement, or give them the opportunity to say that even the gun rights side supports whatever they might come up with next.

 

On this issue I don't think we can drive a wedge between the legislative and the executive branches anyway.  I think, at this point, they all understand they have to take what little they can get.

 

 

 

 

[yurimodin]

On 1/16/2024 at 3:40 PM, Upholder said:

JCAR approved the ISP rules today, 1/16/2024, with the deadline for registration being 1/1/2024.
 

 

Well at least they had "a seat at the table"