[ROCKFORD] – Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today urged Illinois leaders to oppose gun control legislation working its way through the Illinois General Assembly and instead join our nation’s 49 other states and pursue viable conceal-carry legislation.
In a letter to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-IL) and Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-IL), Manzullo called on the leaders to oppose legislation that would ban and increase penalties on semi-automatic firearms (HB 1294 and HB 1599), impose a 2 percent tax on ammunition (HB 5167), and create a firearms registry supported by a new fee (HB 5831).
“Illinois already has some of the nation’s strictest firearms laws, including a requirement for gun owners to possess the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. These bills are nothing but an assault on the constitutionally-protected right to bear arms,” Manzullo said. “I respectfully urge you to not adopt these bills but instead to work towards passage of viable conceal-carry legislation for all of Illinois.”
A strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, Manzullo co-signed a letter last summer authored by U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) encouraging Illinois officials to enact a conceal-carry firearms law. Illinois is the only state in the nation that does not allow conceal-carry. Manzullo also voted last November for the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 (HR 822) that would unfortunately have little effect on Illinois until the state joins the other 49 states and adopts a conceal-carry law.
“The United States Supreme Court affirmed in McDonald vs. Chicago that states cannot violate an individual’s right to bear arms for lawful purposes under the Second Amendment,” Manzullo added. “There is no evidence that gun registration does anything to keep illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals. Banning semi-automatic firearms, which are used in the biathlon competition in the Winter Olympics, and adding a $65 firearms tax, a 2 percent ammunition tax, and a gun registry only punishes law abiding citizens.”
