"The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people," said Iroquois County Sheriff Clinton Perzee. "I, among many others, believe that [House Bill 5471] is a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution," he added.
Perzee said he would not use his jail to detain people solely for violating the new gun law.
"[N]either myself nor my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing law abiding individuals that have been arrested solely with non-compliance of this Act," Perzee said.
Governor J.B. Pritzker reminded the sheriffs that they took an oath to uphold the law. "As law enforcement, that’s their job and I expect them to do that job," Pritzker said.
"It’s political grandstanding by elected officials. These are elected sheriffs," Pritzker said during an evening interview with MSNBC.
Illinois gun rights groups are lining up to sue the state over the law. The "Protect Illinois Communities Act" bans 170 brands of semi-automatic rifles, limits ammunition magazines in pistols and rifles, and forces those with legal semi-automatic rifles to register their guns by Jan. 1, 2024.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul isn’t worried about sheriffs not enforcing the law. Center Square:
Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Friday if local law enforcement won’t act, someone will.
"As law enforcement agencies, there’s overlapping jurisdiction as well, so if they don’t do their jobs, there are other people there to do the job," Raoul said.
Rhonda Ezell, who was a lead plaintiff in a case several years ago successfully challenging reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown
...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel...
gun restrictions, said gun owners in Illinois need to stand up for their rights.
"They don’t care what color you are, where you reside, where you live, where you work. Their goal is to disarm America and they made that very clear," Ezell told The Center Square.
"As law enforcement agencies, there’s overlapping jurisdiction as well, so if they don’t do their jobs, there are other people there to do the job," Raoul said.
Rhonda Ezell, who was a lead plaintiff in a case several years ago successfully challenging reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown
...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel...gun restrictions, said gun owners in Illinois need to stand up for their rights.
"They don’t care what color you are, where you reside, where you live, where you work. Their goal is to disarm America and they made that very clear," Ezell told The Center Square.
What we have in Illinois is a public relations gambit versus the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The only people who are affected by the new law are law-abiding citizens who will be forced to register their legal firearms. Are criminals and gang members going to turn in their guns or register their firearms? Pritzker and those who support him should stop talking about how "safe" Illinois is going to be after the passage of this law.
Once you get across the Wabash River headed East, Just off I-64 (10 minutes south), the 'Yellow Tavern' in historic New Harmony, IN. Pretty damn good chow and a relaxing walk around town.