Prairie State Wire

Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) Executive Director Richard A. Pearson worries that Senate Bill 3637 will be just the start of newly empowered Democrats assaulting law-abiding gun owners.

“As President Obama once said, elections have consequences,” Pearson wrote in a bulletin recently sent to members. “There is no question that applies to the midterm elections of 2018 both in Illinois and across the country.”

Locally, state Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) wasted little time taking advantage of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s loss to Democrat J.B. Pritzker, instantly introducing an ammunition tax bill that would hold gun owners responsible for supporting mental health costs.

“Mental health is a universal problem and should not be placed on the backs of law-abiding gun owners,” Pearson added in the bulletin. “This is clearly an effort to penalize Illinois gun owners, make shooting more expensive and make it more difficult for Illinois firearm dealers to compete. This tax applies to every cartridge and shell, so this hits every firearm owner, including hunters.”

Pearson also laments that longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) looks much more likely to be on the verge of having a super majority.

“It looks like Speaker Madigan will have 75 Democrats in the Illinois House of Representatives,” he added. “This is three more than he has ever had. To pass a bill, it takes only 60 votes; a super majority is 71 votes. A super majority is what is needed to override a veto and Speaker Madigan has 75.”

The same is also true in the Senate, where President John Cullerton now has as many as 40 Democrats on board when only 36 votes are needed for a super majority.

“We might as well get used to the idea that we are in a fight for our lives,” Pearson added. “The ISRA will fight with everything we have. I expect that we may have to go into the courts to get relief if it is possible.”

For more information on ISRA, and for upcoming events, visit visit www.isra.org.