Over a hundred concerned citizens turned out Monday evening for the Second Amendment Town Hall meeting in Carmi. The meeting was sponsored by IllinoisCarry.com and the Carmi Rifle Club. People came to hear from their current state senator and candidate for governor Darren Bailey about things that are going on in Springfield. Sen. Bailey stated he is an advocate for eliminating the Firearm Owner Identification card (FOID) on the basis he believes it is unconstitutional to require law abiding citizens to purchase a permit in order to possess a firearm. He explained his support for Constitutional Carry and doing away with the state requirement to pay for a license to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense. He gave an update on the current legislative session in the IL General Assembly, urging attendees to be active in calling legislators and filing witness slip in support or opposition of bills being heard in committee. Sen. Bailey discussed what we can do to ensure fair elections such as signing up to be election judges and poll watchers. “We need concerned people to help fill those positions all over the state”, Bailey said and added “We need people to get involved in their local and county offices”.
Valinda Rowe of IllinoisCarry presented some of the recent changes in the FOID/Concealed Carry law including new provisions for private sales, concealed carry while hunting, voluntary fingerprints for FOID and more. Some of the topics covered were:
- Possession and carrying of a switchblade knife, stun gun, and taser is now legal in IL for persons with a valid FOID card.
- A FOID application can ONLY be submitted online on the Illinois State Police website or by calling the Illinois State Police, paying the fee over the phone and requesting a paper ballot.
- The ISP is issuing new FOID cards that do not have an expiration date on them – however, the cards will still be set to expire at the end of 10 years so you must stay aware of the expiration date.
- If you have an IL CCL, your FOID will automatically renew whenever you renew your CCL.
- Beginning 1-1 2023 there will be an option to apply for a FOID card that will automatically renew each time you buy a firearm through an IL licensed dealer, if you voluntarily submit electronic fingerprints.
- FOID and CCLs remain valid during renewal process IF renewal is submitted prior to expiration.
- If you have an IL CCL or apply for one, the ISP is issuing new all in one FOID/CCL cards – these also DO NOT have expiration dates on them but your CCL will still expire at the end of 5 years – very important to make sure you keep track of the expiration date and take the required renewal training and renew before it expires.
- If your conceal carry license expires there is no official grace period so there is a very good chance you will be required to start over and take a full 16 hr. class.
- The Wildlife Code is amended to allow those with an IL CCL to carry concealed while hunting and during dog trials.
- Because the FOID/CCL will not have an expiration date – instead of just showing your FOID/CCL when purchasing ammo, a retailer will have to log in to the Illinois State Police (ISP) website or call the ISP to verify your FOID prior to making ammo sales. It is not known how the larger retailers are going to handle this.
- The ISP is creating a web-listing of firearms that have been reported as stolen. This is to help people doing a private purchase of a firearm to make sure the firearm is not a stolen firearm.
- Effective 1-1-24, IL will see the start of registration of private firearm sales with criminal penalties for failure to do so. Anyone who buys/receives a firearm, stun gun, or taser via a private transfer will have 10 days to report that transfer to a federally licensed firearm dealer. If the federally licensed firearm dealer agrees to do this, they must keep the transfer record for 20 years and can charge up to $25 to keep the record. A federally licensed dealer is not required to do this, so it will be up to the buyers to find one who will. Failure to identify the federally licensed firearm dealer maintaining the transfer record, is a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense.
- Currently, some FOID appeals can be processed by the ISP director. Beginning January 1, 2023, instead of the ISP director hearing those appeals, they will go before a governor appointed FOID Review Board who, by a majority vote, will determine if a FOID card will be granted or not. It is very important who we elect as governor for these governor appointed boards!
White County State’s Atty. Denton Aud gave a prepared statement concerning the new No Cash Bail law due to go into effect January 1, 2023. It is a complicated law that Aud believes will make our communities less safe. The measure was opposed by one hundred of the 102 IL State’s Attorneys and passed through the General Assembly on a partisan Democrat vote. The new law will cripple law enforcement’s ability to detain violent criminals who will have to be released without bail almost immediately. This basically removes crime deterrents as perpetrators will not be able to be held for even the most serious crimes such a rape of a child or even murder. There is a small hope that the law will get come common sense amending after the November elections but no one knows if that will happen or what the changes might look like. Aud plans to do a press release with his statement soon.
Valinda Rowe and husband Mike Rowe agreed with Aud that communities will be less safe with the no cash bail law. They discussed and answered questions about IL Justified Use Of Force Law. The discussion covered when you can legally use lethal force in protection of persons, dwellings, and property. It was urged that while the law might allow that force, it is always better to try to avoid it and not have to deal with all the legal and emotional issues that will have to be dealt with after such an incident.
Rounding out the evening, Valinda Rowe discussed the upcoming proposed constitutional change known as Amendment 1 on the ballot in the fall. It is the first of its kind in the nation and would allow collective bargaining to supersede law. She expressed concerns that collective bargaining could very possibly effect the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in the work place or parking lots of those work places or could allow anti-Second Amendment curriculums in Illinois schools. The amendment would tie lawmakers’ hands and thereby tie the hands of Illinois citizens when trying to protect constitutional rights that could be threatened. “Giving this is unheard of broad power to bargain away our rights will be a dangerous precedent in this state,” Rowe said.
The town hall meeting wrapped up with a series of questions and answers for the panel of speakers.
Article by Mike Rowe
Photos by Dawn Williams
Submitted by Valinda Rowe
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