Lake County Gazette

Guns Save Life founder John Boch is speaking out against sweeping gun legislation in Illinois that would criminalize the owners of semi-automatic weapons. 

The bill - HB 5855 - would be the most aggressive in the nation’s history according to proponents and opponents alike. It is sponsored by State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) who was at the Highland Park Independence Day Parade in July where seven were killed and more than 48 wounded after a gunman opened fire. 

“I think this bill is going to be what’s gonna wake up the sleeping giants who say ‘hey, no, we’ve had enough. You never are satisfied by taking little pieces so we’re going to take a bigger chunk of the pie back this time,’” Boch told WMAY. “Bob Morgan is going to lose in court, and not only is he going to lose this, but I anticipate he’s going to get a whole lot of Illinois gun laws that are currently on the books struck, and that’s going to lead to a much safer society for all of us from criminals.”

HB5855 would ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons in the state and create a registry to track those who legally own them. The move to outlaw guns from law-abiding owners in Illinois has drawn severe criticism. The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) and others have vowed to pursue legal action if the legislation passes. “Anti-2nd Amendment politicians in Springfield have filed HB5855 with the full support of the most anti-gun Governor this state has ever seen, Gov. Pritzker,” ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson said in an email. “The proposed legislation, which they hope to vote on in early January, would ban certain semi-automatic pistols, rifles, and shotguns along with any magazine that has a capacity of greater than 10 rounds including any magazine for your handguns. While technically they are not coming for your kids, the Government believes they know best and will not allow any person under 21 to have a FOID card unless they are in the military.”

"Class 2 felonies in Illinois are serious business, with 3-7 years in prison plus big fines," Boch said. "Now, Rep. Bob Morgan (and some of his friends like La Shawn K. Ford – Barbara Hernandez – Maura Hirschauer, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Rita Mayfield, Thaddeus Jones, Margaret Croke, Daniel Didech, Robyn Gabel and Jonathan Carroll) in House Bill 5855 want to slap you with a Class 2 felony if you have two or more standard cap magazines holding over ten rounds." 

In June, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released a report showing over half of the guns recovered by law enforcement come from outside the state. The ATF found the 11,708 guns recovered in crimes in Illinois were slightly more likely to originate from surrounding states in particular those such as Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, ABC7 Chicago reported.

Dan Eldridge, of the gun dealers’ association Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, is warning HB5855 would criminalize ordinary Illinoisans. 

“I would say it’s somewhere between two and 10 million magazines, and it’s a massive impact,” Eldridge told The Center Square. “These are the standard magazines that come with a duty-sized pistol even, they’re the standard magazines that come with a rifle. These are not aftermarket extended capacity magazines.” He added that “With an immediate effective date, mere possession of a, and I’m not going to use their words, I’m going to use accurate words, mere possession of a standard-capacity magazine is a crime. There’s no getting around that. So you’ve got Second Amendment issues. You’ve got Fourth Amendment issues. You’ve got Fourteenth Amendment issues. You can’t do this.”

Critics have noted that while proponents of the bill point to the Highland Park shooting - whose mayor spoke at the hearing - as a flashpoint for gun control, the alleged shooter Robert Crimo III was provided a gun permit by the Illinois State Police despite having red flags on his record for mental illness and instances of violence. Many are calling this a failure of the Gov. J.B. Pritzker administration to enforce existing law. “Had the Pritzker administration done what they said they were going to do, which was to review and make sure laws already on the books were being implemented more effectively, the tragedy in Highland Park might never have occurred,” Sen. Donald DeWitte (R-St. Charles) said in a statement, The Pantagraph reported. Seven were killed and more than 48 wounded after a gunman opened fire on the Independence Day parade.