Illinois State Senator Mike Noland using lives as bargaining chips

Meet Illinois State Senator Michael Noland (D-22nd District). Recently, a constituent of his (and IllinoisCarry.com member) asked him to support SB 348 and SB 458. These bills would, respectively, implement a shall-issue concealed carry system in Illinois, and preempt "home rule" firearms laws, so that counties and municipalities could not trump state law, and outlaw concealed carry on their own. This was the senator's response:

I will consider doing this if the sponsors will amend the bill to allow for ballistics registry of all new handguns sold in Illinois. Compromise.

m.noland

P.S. Best to use my senator@noland.org address for legislative matters.

Hmm . . . compromise--on a Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human right. Can't say I like that idea. Can't say I like it at all. I'm not moving to the back of the bus, even if it's just part-way to the back.

I especially don't like a "compromise" that serves no purpose whatsoever--our correspondent had the same idea, and told the senator so.

Mike,


The Maryland state police have recommends that "this program be suspended, a repeal of the collection of cartridge cases from current law be enacted, and the Laboratory Technicians associated with the program be transferred to the DNA database unit."

Maryland's 'Ballistics Fingerprint' System Not Working, Report Says

http://www.cnsnews.com/Culture/archive/200...L20050112b.html

How Reliable Is Ballistic Fingerprinting?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66007,00.html

Lawmakers Consider Scrapping Signature Gun Program

http://www.newsline.umd.edu/justice/gunprints031105.htm

Personally if it were not for the millions of dollars it would cost to set up and the ongoing cost to maintain it I would not have a problem with it. But I could not justify the cost expenditure knowing that 5 or less minutes with and emery board or file would render any previous ballistic registration of that firearm worthless. But if you are not familiar with firearms I guess one would not know it can be so easily defeated. It is akin to putting the serial number on the gun in washable ink.

A well reasoned series of points as to why so-called "ballistic fingerprinting" is worthless, backed up by evidence. Surely Senator Noland would respect that. Um . . . no, actually--here's his reply:

Excuses. Compromise.

I could come up with a terse, two word reply to send right back to the senator, and I don't imagine he'd appreciate it.

Remember now that all Mike offers as his end of the "compromise" is that he would "consider" supporting these bills. Keep in mind also that he's only one senator--a freshman senator, at that--so it's not as if his support (assuming he decides to lend it, after "consideration") would be a tremendous boon. Finally, keep in mind that in Illinois, the governor has the power to deal with bills of which he only likes some parts, but not others, with an "amendatory veto" (similar to the now banned line-item veto). Governor Blagojevich has used the amendatory veto in the past, to turn such "compromises" between the pro-rights side and citizen disarmament advocates into gifts to the anti-gun crowd, at the expense of gun owners. That he would unhesitatingly do so again is a certainty.

Here's my compromise, Senator: start supporting your constituents' rights, and you can continue to suck at the public teat, while avoiding the necessity of getting a real job.