The Illinois House has given final approval to the most expansive gun control legislation in the history of the state, but State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich) says in the end the law will accomplish nothing because it is a clear violation of the Constitution.
“This bill passed with thunderous applause from far-left legislators but in the end very little has been accomplished today,” Niemerg said. “The bill is a clear violation of the Constitution and will not hold up in court. If the intention is to cost honest citizens time and money in defending their Constitutional rights, then mission accomplished. If the intention is to prevent violence, then what exactly has been accomplished here? We were told there was an emergency, and we could not wait to pass this legislation. Instead of passing a bill that preserved our Constitutional rights and addressed violence in our culture at its root cause, the advocates of this bill chose to enact a bill that will not stand up in court. The backers of this bill have a lot of explaining to do. They have violated their oath of office by passing a bill that is clearly unconstitutional and they have done nothing to prevent future violent attacks. All they have accomplished is wasting time and wasting money.”
House Bill 5471 as amended restricts the purchase and manufacturing of many different types of federally legal firearms, limits magazine capacity to 12 rounds and requires signed affidavits for grandfathered in firearms.
“As I said before, criminals won’t fill out an affidavit for their guns,” added Niemerg. “This legislation is not about protecting people. It is about making a political statement. I am committed to working in a bipartisan way to take meaningful action to address the problem of violence in our culture at its root cause, but I will not violate the Constitutional rights of honest citizens. If the advocates behind this legislation really cared about solving the problem, we would be focused on solutions that work instead of passing legislation that will not stand up to Constitutional muster.”
House Bill 5471 now moves to the Governor’s desk where it is expected he will sign it.