By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Members of a new Democrat-controlled Illinois legislative committee have set their sights on more gun control, which does not appear to surprise anyone, since the title of the new committee is the House Gun Violence Prevention Committee.
The Center Square is reporting that two measures are now on the table:
House Bill 1337: “Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that upon recovering a firearm that was (i) unlawfully possessed, (ii) used for any unlawful purpose, (iii) recovered from the scene of a crime, (iv) reasonably believed to have been used or associated with the commission of a crime, or (v) acquired by the law enforcement agency as an abandoned, lost, or discarded firearm, a law enforcement agency shall use the best available information, including a firearms trace (deletes when necessary), to determine how and from whom the person gained possession of the firearm and to determine prior ownership of the firearm. Provides that law enforcement shall use the National Tracing Center of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ eTrace platform or successor platform in complying with this provision. Provides that law enforcement shall participate in the National Tracing Center of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ eTrace platform or successor platform’s collective data sharing program for the purpose of sharing firearm trace reports among all law enforcement agencies in this State on a reciprocal basis. Defines “peace officer” for the purpose of the investigation of specified offenses shall include investigators of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Effective immediately.”
House Bill 18: “Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police has authority to deny an application for or to revoke and seize a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued under the Act if the Illinois State Police finds that the applicant or the person to whom the card was issued is or was at the time of issuance a person who has been convicted of misdemeanor stalking in another jurisdiction or a similar misdemeanor offense in another jurisdiction.”
According to the Center Square, the Illinois State Rifle Association is worried about problems for members who might own firearms acquired years ago in a private transaction for which there is now no eTrace capability.
