Chicago City Wire

Critics of gun reform legislation are pointing to another Democratic-backed bill.

Gun rights groups vowed to bring it to court if the bill passes the General Assembly.

“We are watching another draconian bill, HB 5859, sponsored by the old enemy of the Constitution, Denyse Stoneback (D-Skokie),” Gunrights4Illinois said on Facebook. “This one allows them to hold secret meetings about FOID suspensions and firearm restraining orders. You do not get to testify or even know about this until the jack-booted thugs kick in your door. As an added bonus, if Big Brother doesn’t think you gave them all of your guns, they can then suspend your driver’s license until you give them all the guns, they THINK you have.”  

HB 5859 would allow for an Illinoisan's driver’s license to be suspended to compel them to comply with the law. “Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the driver's license shall be suspended and the motor vehicle registration shall not be renewed until a person fully complies with an order to surrender firearms. Amends various other Acts to make conforming and other changes,” the bill’s synopsis reads in part.

The effort will follow the General Assembly’s movement on sweeping gun rights legislation HB5855, Protect Illinois Communities Act. Critics have argued HB5855 will criminalize regular Illinoisans and have minor effect on criminals. “I would say it’s somewhere between two and 10 million magazines, and it’s a massive impact,” Dan Eldridge, of gun dealers’ association Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois told The Center Square. “These are the standard magazines that come with a duty-sized pistol even, they’re the standard magazines that come with a rifle. These are not aftermarket extended capacity magazines.” Eldridge added, “With an immediate effective date, mere possession of a – and I’m not going to use their words, I’m going to use accurate words – mere possession of a standard-capacity magazine is a crime. There’s no getting around that. So you’ve got Second Amendment issues. You’ve got Fourth Amendment issues. You’ve got Fourteenth Amendment issues. You can’t do this.”

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Sterling) called HB 5855 unconstitutional. She told Prairie State Wire that while it is “likely far from in its final form, the constitutionality of the bill will certainly go before the courts.”