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ISRA: $300 Million Gun Ban Could Bankrupt Illinois
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2007-03-20 04:33:54 -
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
A gun control bill currently making its way through the Illinois Senate could prove to be the "coup de grace" to the state's seriously ailing finances. The bill in question, SB16, would require the registration of certain semiautomatic firearms within 90 days of the bill's signing by the governor.
The ISRA estimates that there may be upwards of 10 million affected firearms in the hands of law-abiding Illinois citizens. To remain on the
90- day schedule, the state would have to hire approximately 7,000 new employees to process in excess of 111,000 registration forms per day.
The costs associated with this registration program would be staggering. Taking salaries, equipment, supplies, and real estate into consideration, the state could expect to spend at least $300 million to process the initial flood of registration forms. File maintenance and registration renewals in the out years would heap additional expense on an already strained state balance sheet.
"Even in the best of times, $300 million is a lot of money," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "And these ain't the best of times for Illinois. Standing-up an operation to process 111,000 registration forms per day would be a monumental task -- an endeavor full of uncertainty. As Canada learned in its recent attempt to register guns, costs associated with gun registration programs can quickly spiral out of control. What started out to be a $2 million plan to register Canada's rifles has grown into a $2 billion debacle that has done nothing to make the people of Canada safer. The registration boondoggle has also cost a number of Canadian politicians their jobs."
"Like all 'assault weapon' bans, SB16 is essentially symbolic," continued Pearson. "Even the Chicago Police Department's own murder analyses show that firearms included under the ban are rarely, if ever, used to commit murders. The impact of SB16 on crime would be zero, but the bill's impact on the state's budget would be a gut-shot to the tune of $300 million."
"Legislators really have to ask themselves whether spending $300 million to attack the rights of law-abiding citizens while ignoring the career criminals responsible for 88% of murders is really a good investment. I suspect that we all know what the taxpayers, who would have to pick up the tab for this folly, would say."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. Since 1903, the ISRA has represented the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
Source: Illinois State Rifle Association
Print article Print article
Refer this article Refer to a friend
2007-03-20 04:33:54 -
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
A gun control bill currently making its way through the Illinois Senate could prove to be the "coup de grace" to the state's seriously ailing finances. The bill in question, SB16, would require the registration of certain semiautomatic firearms within 90 days of the bill's signing by the governor.
The ISRA estimates that there may be upwards of 10 million affected firearms in the hands of law-abiding Illinois citizens. To remain on the
90- day schedule, the state would have to hire approximately 7,000 new employees to process in excess of 111,000 registration forms per day.
The costs associated with this registration program would be staggering. Taking salaries, equipment, supplies, and real estate into consideration, the state could expect to spend at least $300 million to process the initial flood of registration forms. File maintenance and registration renewals in the out years would heap additional expense on an already strained state balance sheet.
"Even in the best of times, $300 million is a lot of money," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "And these ain't the best of times for Illinois. Standing-up an operation to process 111,000 registration forms per day would be a monumental task -- an endeavor full of uncertainty. As Canada learned in its recent attempt to register guns, costs associated with gun registration programs can quickly spiral out of control. What started out to be a $2 million plan to register Canada's rifles has grown into a $2 billion debacle that has done nothing to make the people of Canada safer. The registration boondoggle has also cost a number of Canadian politicians their jobs."
"Like all 'assault weapon' bans, SB16 is essentially symbolic," continued Pearson. "Even the Chicago Police Department's own murder analyses show that firearms included under the ban are rarely, if ever, used to commit murders. The impact of SB16 on crime would be zero, but the bill's impact on the state's budget would be a gut-shot to the tune of $300 million."
"Legislators really have to ask themselves whether spending $300 million to attack the rights of law-abiding citizens while ignoring the career criminals responsible for 88% of murders is really a good investment. I suspect that we all know what the taxpayers, who would have to pick up the tab for this folly, would say."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. Since 1903, the ISRA has represented the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
Source: Illinois State Rifle Association
