The manufacturers who would be driven out of business if it passed gathered to protest:

— The bill serves no practical crime fighting purpose as the firearms that would be banned are rarely used in criminal acts. This fact is the primary reason why the federal “assault weapons ban” was not renewed in 2004.

— The bill sets bad public policy by banning lawfully acquired firearms. In effect, the bill creates two new classes of criminals where none had existed previously. Peaceable, lawful firearm owners would suddenly become potential felons for harboring contraband. Likewise for the state’s firearm manufacturers – one day they’d be manufacturing a legal product, the next day they’d be facing jail time.

— The bill does not at all address the real problem of crime and violence. Nowhere in the bill is there language targeting murderers, robbers, rapists, drug kingpins, gang bangers or any of the other vermin that prowl our streets. Rather, the bill specifically targets hunters, sports shooters, gun collectors, competitive shooters and those who keep firearms for protection against the criminals this bill conveniently ignores.

— The bill would have a tremendous negative impact on the state’s economy. The firearms manufacturers represented at today’s press conference contribute over $150 Million to the state’s domestic product. With over 750 employees on the payroll, the Illinois firearms manufacturers provide economic stability to a region of the state often overlooked by other investors. If HB2414 is signed into law, the Illinois firearm manufacturers will relocate to other states. In addition to lost jobs and manufacturing revenue, the state’s sporting goods retailers would also see over $200 Million in retail sales revenue dry up should HB2414 be signed into law.

Meanwhile, the hysterical Brady Campaign gets its panties in a twist:

A bill that would ban military-style semiautomatic weapons in Illinois, HB 2414, awaits action in the Illinois Legislature. Law enforcement leaders, crime victims, and the Governor are calling for its passage. Today, the gun lobby said it would be economically costly.

Lie number one as military style weapons are not semi-automatic.

“The gun lobby’s leaders said today in Springfield that banning assault weapons would injure Illinois economically to the tune of $150 million and cost the state 750 jobs,” said Jennifer Bishop, Illinois State director of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “Are Illinois residents really buying $150 million a year worth of assault weapons? If so, I urge the Legislature to move as quickly as possible on this proposal, because we have a bigger problem than we realized.”

Perhaps you’ve heard of the national and global economy? Not all things made in Illinois stay there.

“If these guys are going to say that this assault weapons ban will cause a loss of a few hundred jobs, how can you compare that to the more than a thousand lives that are lost in our state each year to gun violence, and many more nationally?,” asked Northwestern University Political Science Professor Steve Young, the father of a gun violence victim. “The gun industry is the most secretive of all industries. If they are claiming hundreds of millions of dollars in lost profits, and many jobs lost, then let them open their books and prove this.”

And this ban will not affect the number of lives lost each year. The Federal Ban proved that point. The gun industry is secretive? Well, most private firms are. S&W is publicly traded and their books aren’t a secret. The smaller shops are.

The Bradies got nothing. And they know it.

Posted in uncategorized on March 2nd, 2006 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |