Barb Wheeler on Gun Control

A press release from State Rep. Barb Wheeler:

Wheeler Says State Cannot Delay Action to Improve Public Safety

In the wake of another violent attack, State Representative Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) says Illinois cannot continue to wait to take action.

In the fall, Wheeler sponsored legislation to address bump stocks like the one used by the Las Vegas shooter and began working with the State Police (ISP) and Human Services (DHS) to address mental health reporting failures.

She has since filed new legislation to increase security at gun shops and increase penalties for possession of fully automatic weapons, which is illegal under Illinois law.

“Last week’s shooting in Florida is another clear example that we cannot keep delaying action to address the link between mental health and gun violence,” said Wheeler.

“Nor can we continue to ignore the reality that we do not need certain types of firearms and firearm modifications, like bump stocks, on the market.”

The different legislation Wheeler is sponsoring seeks to address specific failures in the public safety system:

  • HB 4120 – This legislation makes it illegal to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or possess a bump-fire stock in Illinois. Most automatic weapons have been banned in the U.S. since the 1930’s and the Illinois State Rifle Association is in of support of the legislation.
  • HB 4218 & HB 4855 – The Illinois FOID Card Act requires hospitals to report mental health admissions to DHS, who in turn provide the information to the State Police. Current information from DHS suggestion some hospitals are failing to report admissions, and there is currently little recourse in the law to compel compliance with the reporting requirement. These pieces of legislation update the reporting requirement to ensure compliance and prevent firearm access for those considered a danger to themselves or others.
  • HB 4904 – This legislation updates the rules for sales at licensed gun shops and provides for video surveillance and a notification system to assist law enforcement in the case of a break-in.
  • HB 5475 – This legislation increases the penalties for unlawful possession of a machine gun.

In addition to the above legislation, last week Wheeler and State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) began crafting legislation to update a gap in Illinois’ stalking law.

Along with the help of Lake County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Salvi, the legislation will create an emergency directive for schools and churches.

This will allow the court to temporarily restrict access to firearms of someone who is considered a danger and allow for a mental health evaluation.

Such a law could have prevented last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, as the suspected shooter was expelled from the school for violent behavior.

The legislation is expected to be finalized and filed in the coming days.

Wheeler noted that unlike other bills some are pushing, the above pieces of legislation are focused on dealing with specific problems that must be addressed, rather than overly broad legislation that infringes on constitutional rights.

Besides the mental health component related to Florida’s shooting and other recent acts of violence, the firearm that took the life of Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer possessed a modification already illegal in most states.

“Even though we have had specific rules in place to help keep firearms out of the hands of someone suffering from a potentially dangerous mental health problem, if those rules aren’t being followed, it means nothing,” said Wheeler.

“One life lost because of a failure to report a mental health problem or because a firearm was unnecessarily modified is one too many; we need to close the gaps in our system immediately.”


Comments

Barb Wheeler on Gun Control — 32 Comments

  1. Memo to Barb Wheeler….last vote I’ll ever solicit for you.. in fact I will campaign for any of your future opponents …

  2. Bump firing is useless, and a waste of ammo, but banning those overpriced stocks won’t accomplish a thing.

    You can use a stout rubber band to bump fire just about any semiautomatic rifle.

    The Feds can already throw someone in the slammer for ten years and fine them $250k for illegal possession of a fully automatic weapon.

    I don’t think an add on state charge will accomplish a whole lot.

    It sounds as if Barbie is after one last headline.

  3. Wheeler is a complete idiot. All of this is the gaslighting of the American people. We are awake to your fake hoax attacks and trying to ramrod really BAD legislation to remedy a situation you caused. We are done believing in your Hegelian Dialectic crap. You will not get away with these psyops!

  4. Zip it, Billy Bob!

    Or She’ll be adding stout rubber bands to her bill!

  5. Bill, Barbara is retiring.

    Ask Tom Weber what he thinks about these bills. He’s the guy running for her seat.

  6. Whackamole is a liar AND should probably move to Australia where they could “feel” so much safer.

  7. Way to try to infringe on Law Abiding citizens. This is liberal Feel Good but useless legislation.

  8. So, a school district establishes a policy “do not involve the police relative to ANY student misconduct”; 17 innocent people are executed and the answer is more gun control?

    Are the citizens of this country really getting that stupid?

    If you want to lay blame for the Florida killings anywhere other then on Cruz , blame Eric Holder and Barack Obama – they approved the policy set by superintendent Robert Runcie (annual salary: $335,000 and former worker for good ol’ Arnie Duncan in Chicago) and rewarded the school district financially for implementing the PROMISE program.

    In 2016 the Broward County school district renewed the PROMISE program. After renewing it, the District received a Teacher Incentive Fund grant totaling $53,808,909 from the U.S. Dept of Education. That school district was the ONLY large urban district in the entire country to receive such a reward.

    Guns kill people like forks make people fat and listening to MSM reports make you smart.

    Wake up people, you are being deceived and flat out lied to by politicians and the mainstream media.

    Thank God Barb Wheeler is not running for office this year and hopefully never again!!!

    The statement: “Such a law could have prevented last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida” as at best naive and at worst a flat out misstatement.

    Laws do not stop people from committing crimes – deterrents do – had Cruz known that teachers may be carrying a concealed weapon, he likely would have chosen to do his nasty deed somewhere else in a ‘gun free’ zone or not committed the crime at all.

    In fact, without the PROMISE program, he would likely have been committed for mental evaluation or incarcerated.

    Want to stop these mass executions of the innocent?

    Eliminate gun free zones and quit coddling those who commit misdemeanors and felonies.

  9. Cindy…prove whackamole is a liar. All polls I’ve seen support his comment.

  10. Polls lie. Therein lies most of your problem. Any politician “down with this” lie that is being perpetrated on the American people should get out of the way. Anyone promoting this hoaxing and gaslighting of the American people should be incarcerated. Anyone falling for those lies is just too stupid to be trusted at all. You are begging to further this police state by staying in the dark and sucking up the untruths.

  11. Re: “All polls I’ve seen support his comment.” You mean like the NBC quote? “Sixty-six percent of Americans want stricter gun control laws — the highest level recorded by Quinnipiac University since it started polling the issue after Sandy Hook. ”

    During the 1930’s Joseph Goebbels was also very successful in indoctrinating an entire nation.

    How many of those polled knew the real facts relative the Parkland school shooting? The MSM (modern day Goebbels) is leaving out the most important facts.

  12. Polls are incredibly unreliable and are dependant upon the questions which are often biased and misleading.

    Hence, the recent poll in one of the left leaning newspapers which concluded most Americans do not want to pay less taxes.

  13. And yet, if this idiot ex schoolteacher were to run again, she’d get re-elected.

  14. Polls, they said Hillary Clinton was going to win the last election.
    Thank you, God for making polls be so unreliable and the biggest joke of the century!

  15. Somebody has been drinking the Liberal/MSM Kool-Aid.

    Bumpstocks, the NRA and fully auto firearms have nothing to do with mentally ill
    people who are Hell-bent on committing mass shootings, and we don’t need stricter gun laws either.
    What we do need is strict enforcement of the laws already on the books especially
    when it comes to those who are mentally ill possessing or procuring firearms.

    Molon Labe.

  16. What a PoS. Glad she’s gone! GOOD RIDDANCE!

    You can always tell a Salvi, but you can’t tell ’em much!

  17. Her brother did everything but get down on his kneepads for NRA support, and then shot them in the back.

    Should we consider:
    1. Capital Punishment and Federal prosecution for all murders of 3 or more in a 48 hour period.
    2. Expedited Appeals.
    3. Execution within time period of the memory of the crime.

    When Lincoln was assassinated, the co-conspirators were executed within six months of the crime. That included trials and two appeals per.

  18. Blacks, as always, practice an almost refreshingly straightforward tribalism. Among the leading voices for disarmament is the Congressional Black Caucus. It seized on the killing of Trayvon Martin to introduce a repeal of all “Stand Your Ground” laws that allow Americans to defend themselves against violence without first retreating. After the Newtown shooting, the group supported the message of one of its members, Yvette Clarke, who badly claimed that “we have the authority” to ban “assault weapons” and certain kinds of magazines, and to control private sales of guns.

    Oddly, the group’s alleged worries about unregistered firearms did not extend to the “Fast and Furious” scandal under Eric Holder, in which untracked assault rifles were shipped to Mexico and used in violent crimes, including the murder of white Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. The Congressional Black Caucus walked out during a vote to hold black Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, and even honored him at a gala as a “role model for the African-American community.”

  19. So 70% want stricter gun laws however 95% of people have no idea what the laws already are! Know the laws before you want to change them!

  20. How did those polls determine that the people who said that they want stricter gun control laws know what the CURRENT laws are?

    For example, Chicago is pointed at as a bastion of gun control, yet it has one of the highest crime rates in the US.

    The apologists will say “Well, that’s because Indiana has looser laws and the criminals are buying them there”.

    Which, as anyone who has researched the topic (which means none of the advocates for gun control) knows is ALREADY against Federal law.

    Enforce the existing laws before trying to pass new ones which also likely won’t be enforced.

  21. Barb Wheeler has more guts and commitment than most people I have ever met.

    She cares about safety for kids in our schools and this is her sincere effort to create positive change.

    Rep. Wheeler is a caring person, who is also a strong conservative.

    Her stance on this issue is what most people in our Country and our County want.

    However, because she is up against strong special interests I respect her courage in taking this stand and recognize how our community owes her our respect and appreciation.

  22. Ironic that lefties, liberals and Democrats are the most vocal about wanting more gun control laws. Where were they when the Obama Administration and Eric Holder with his Fast and Furious encouraged guns to be given to gang members.

  23. Dick’s Sporting Goods to no longer sell assault style rifles or to sell guns to anyone under 21.

  24. Whackamole brings up a point that reminds me why I no longer support the NRA.

    Was a lifetime member back in the 50’s.

    Now I do NOT trust them as far as I can throw them.

    Notwithstanding that all polls are pure bunkum.

  25. The Second Amendment Foundation is a much better group.

    The NRA is far too willing to compromise away our rights.

  26. The NRA supports universal background checks for most firearms sales; we just want the Instacheck System to be functional.

    We have to relax the HIPPA Law so that psychiatric problems can be included.

  27. The nra is too soft…nonsense you will only read here, in our glorious McHenry county sunshine blog. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, meow, meow…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *