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Senate Bill 8 found lopsided support among the public. As of
Thursday evening, 710 individuals filed witness slips in favor.
About 3,200 people filed in opposition. The deadline to move the
bill to the House was Friday.
“The act does not apply in instances of self defense or unlawful
entry onto those premises,” said bill sponsor state Sen. Laura
Ellman, D-Naperville. “It amends the Criminal Code of 2012
similarly to provide that it is unlawful for any person to store
or leave a firearm if the person knows or reasonably should know
that a minor who does not have a [Firearm Owner’s ID] card is
likely to gain access.”
Minor is defined in the bill as anyone under 18.
Opposing the measure in committee, gun rights advocate Todd
Vandermyde said it goes beyond just requiring safe storage by
adding penalties for if a stolen firearm is used against someone
else.
“So if a report is filed and it’s a petty offense, you’re now
lowering the bar to losing a constitutional right based on a
petty offense,” Vandermyde told the committee. “I think that is
some very intriguing new ground.”
Meanwhile, Illinois homeschool families continue to push back on
a proposed measure to regulate their activity.
The Illinois House has passed hundreds of bills so far this
week. They have a Friday deadline to pass House bills over to
the Senate. One of those could be House Bill 2827, known as the
Homeschool Act.
Last month, after a standing-room-only hearing, the measure
advanced out of committee. An amendment was filed this week.
Urban Center’s Juan Rangel said it’s still a bad bill.
“A truant officer who has the terrifying power to refer a family
for prosecution to a state’s attorney will have an in person
meeting with their minor child. There is nothing in this
amendment protecting the sanctity of the family’s home, which
raises Fourth Amendment concerns,” Rangel said during a news
conference Thursday alongside homeschool families.
Supporters of the measure argue there needs to be oversight of
homeschool families to ensure children being homeschooled are
properly educated and are not being neglected or abused.
As of Thursday evening, 1,080 individuals have filed in support
of the Homeschool Act. Nearly 42,400 people have filed in
opposition.
Legislators return Friday for floor action, but both chambers
are off next week. The scheduled end of session is May 31.
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