Gov. Rauner signs diluted Illinois gun law tweak after original was amended

Correction: This piece has been corrected from the original which incorrectly cited a previous version of the bill.

Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a watered down measure that began life as a bill to strip gun rights  from firearms owners due to stalking orders or protective orders from other states.

Introduced by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, the measure in its original form would have directed the State Police to deny an application for or revoke an individual’s Firearm Owners Identification Card if they are subject to an order of protection or no-contact order related to stalking.

Gutted and amended by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy, D-Chicago to remove the expansion, it passed the House in April and the Senate in May, both in unanimous votes, earning Rauner’s signature on August 12 along with a host of other measures without comment.

The legislation– which passed as HB 6331– instead of being a multi-faceted attack on gun rights that would treat a stalking no contact order (SNCO) the same way as a domestic violence protective order under the law when it comes to barring gun ownership as originally proposed, simply codifies the State Police should provide notice of a disqualification or revocation of a person’s Firearm Owner’s Identification Card if at the time of issuance the individual was subject to an existing order of protection.

The change was brought about by lobbying efforts of the National Rifle Association and the Illinois State Rifle Association.

The measure is now Public Act 99-0787 and takes effect January 1, 2017.

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