Two bills before the Illinois House that would require handgun registration and impose an ammunition sales tax to help reimburse trauma centers have local gun-rights advocates angry.

They’re even angrier that both bills, which cleared committee Wednesday, are part of a slew of gun-control bills that they allege are aimed at the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

However, they’re not worried about any of the bills having a chance of becoming law.

House Bill 5831, filed by Rep. William Davis, D-East Hazel Crest, would require all handguns to be registered with the Illinois State Police at a cost of $65 a gun, although an amendment seeks to lower the amount to $20. House Bill 5167, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, would impose a 2 percent ammunition sales tax to allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to make grants to trauma centers in high crime areas.

Marengo Guns owner Dominic DeBock is no stranger to proposed gun laws, but said that they never cease to amaze him.

“I never quite understand where Illinois comes up with all these great ideas,” DeBock said. “Chicago has one of the biggest crime problems in the country, but has the most restrictive laws on handguns.”

All but one of the laws are sponsored by Democratic representatives of Chicago districts – the handgun registration law was proposed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a way to help track downstate guns used in city crimes.

Although Chicago has a gun registry, Illinois registers gun owners, not the guns themselves. Gun owners must obtain Firearm Owners Identification cards, but they do not have to report the number or type of guns they own.

Two bills filed by Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, would make a large part of gun stores’ inventories illegal. Both are on the House floor awaiting a vote.

House Bill 1294 would make it illegal to own, buy or sell a “semi-automatic assault weapon,” which the bill defines as any weapon that has one or more features such as a folding stock, hand guard or pistol grip. It also would require existing owners to mail proof of ownership to the state police. That bill and House Bill 1599 expand the definition of assault weapon to include a number of shotguns and handguns.

Neither Acevedo nor Cassidy could be reached for comment.

The bills have passed the House Executive Committee along 7-4 party line votes. Committee member Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, voted against all of them, saying that gun control does not cure the disease of violence.

“I’m sympathetic to the neighborhoods and the residents who have to put up with the violence ... but do something that we know works. Gun control doesn’t work,” Tryon said. “Work through the public health model. Work on prevention and treatment of the disease.”

Five of the seven Democratic committee members are from Chicago, including Acevedo, and a sixth is from East St. Louis.

State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, opposes the bills and said the gun-control measures, many of which have been tried before, will be defeated. He and Tryon both pointed out that it is illegal to sell ammunition in Chicago, meaning that the rest of the state is being asked to pay for Chicago’s crime problem.

“None of this has anything to do with safety whatsoever,” Franks said. “It’s only about revenue.”

Franks’ opposition is shared by many downstate Democrats as well. Reps. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, Bill Haine, D-Alton, and others have vocally opposed the proposed gun-control bills. Jerry Costello, D-Sparta, called gun registration “an attempt to put us in the same class as sex offenders, and I won’t stand for it.”

Mike Weisman, first vice president of the Illinois State Rifle Association, called the bills an act of “desperation” after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned handgun bans and the House last year fell six votes short of approving concealed carry. Illinois is the only state that does not allow concealed carry in some form.

He said he is confident that the measures will fail.

“I think we have good support, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to rest on our laurels,” Weisman said.

Gun-control bills being considered

A number of gun-control bills have passed committee and are before the Illinois House for a vote:

• House Bill 1294, sponsored by Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, would make it illegal within 90 days of passage to own, buy or sell a “semi-automatic assault weapon,” which the bill defines as any weapon that has one or more features such as hand guards, a folding stock or a pistol grip. People who already own such weapons must provide proof of ownership to the Illinois State Police.

• House Bill 1599, also sponsored by Acevedo, expands the definition of “assault weapon” to include a number of shotguns and handguns, and increases felony charges for offenses committed with said weapons.

• House Bill 5831, filed by Rep. William Davis, D-East Hazel Crest, would require handgun owners to register them with the Illinois State Police at a cost of $65 per gun. An amendment not yet approved would lower the registration fee to $20.

• House Bill 5167, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, would impose a 2 percent tax on ammunition to allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to make grants to trauma centers in high-crime areas.

• Another Acevedo bill, House Bill 1855, would create penalties for gun owners who fail to report their gun stolen within 72 hours. A House vote on the bill has been postponed.

Three more bills, all filed by Cassidy, are awaiting action in the House Executive Committee:

• House Bill 4149 would require people who want to sell or transfer a concealable gun and are not federally licensed gun dealers to do so at a licensed facility.

• House Bill 4456 would require the Illinois State Police to create an online portal by which people can request criminal background checks before the sale or transfer of a handgun.

• House Bill 3845 creates an unfunded mandate for county and municipal police departments to establish turn-in programs for unwanted firearms. The bill overrides home rule powers.

SOURCE: Illinois General Assembly

On the Net

You can read the texts and the sponsorship of the bills on the General Assembly website at www.ilga.gov.