Posted on 12/10/2012 5:49:28 AM PST by marktwain
One of the highlights of the just-completed veto session in the Illinois General Assembly was when lawmakers overrode Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of a bill regarding mail order sales of ammunition.
The Legislature’s action was significant because it prevented the governor from overstepping his constitutional powers by trying to rewrite a piece of legislation to the point of changing its intent completely.
Earlier this year, the Illinois House and Senate passed Senate Bill 681, which was written to address a quirk in state law regarding mail-order sales of ammo. Current state law allows individuals to purchase ammunition through the mail from companies that operate outside of Illinois, but ammunition merchants operating in Illinois are not allowed to mail ammunition to Illinois residents without being in violation of FOID regulations.
In an effort to put Illinois’ dealers on a level playing field with businesses all across the country, the General Assembly passed SB 681 to allow lawful gun owners to purchase ammo through mail orders in Illinois.
Now, if Quinn simply had chosen to veto the legislation, he would have been within his rights. Even if he simply had used his amendatory veto powers to make some technical adjustments to the bill’s provisions, that would have fallen under the traditional definition of the amendatory veto.
But Quinn did something radical. He tried to rewrite the bill to make it into gun-control legislation, which was never the intention of the legislation’s sponsors. By the time the governor finished his amendatory veto, the bill would have banned the sale or possession of semi-automatic rifles, high-capacity magazines and .50-caliber guns.
There may be valid arguments for banning sales of these so-called “assault” weapons and their attachments, but if so, those arguments should be made on the floors of the House and the Senate, where they can be debated freely and openly and voted upon by the elected representatives of the people of Illinois. The governor had no right to take such legislative powers upon himself and attempt to impose such restrictions through the vehicle of an amendatory veto.
Fortunately, the needed majorities in both the Senate and House rejected Quinn’s attempt to usurp their privileges. Both chambers voted to override his veto and restore the original language of the bill, which now will become law.
The new law will be, as intended, a measure to help businesses in Illinois compete on an even playing field with their counterparts in other states. It also will give law-abiding citizens who hold valid FOID cards the option of keeping their money in the state by purchasing ammunition through mail orders from Illinois dealers.
What the law will not be is a cynical attempt to restrict the Second Amendment rights of Illinoisans through a back-door measure. We salute our lawmakers for doing the right thing and asserting their privileges and the rights of our citizens over the arrogance of the governor.
Watch for the sequel in the Obama Administration, cheer lead by the MSM.
Few things as enjoyable as receiving a shipment of paid for Russian military ammo delivered right to your front door via UPS.
“What?! I was just making sure you guys weren’t sleeping!”
these cans come packed in wooden crates with russian military markings all over the place.
And they are heavy.
UPS guy usually comes to the door wide eyed and puzzled.
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