Apparently Daley and Blagojevich have been ineffective in passing the Brady Campaign's agenda. The Brady Campaign is now opening an office in Springfield to become more directly involved in Illinois politics. 
Just received this from ISRA:
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Just received this from ISRA:
Capitol Commentary
By Todd Vandermyde
Bradys Come to Town while We Continue Working.
This week saw the House finishing up committee work on House bills. The Senate started working on final passage of Senate bills and clearing the calendar, taking Wednesday out for a Committee of the Whole meeting on education.
For now, the only substantive bills dealing with guns pending are those, which increase penalties for armed criminals and ours.
In the House, we have HB3989, which reduces the age someone can sign/apply for his or her own FOID card from 21 to 18. If you can get married, join the military and end up in combat, you should be able to sign for and apply for your own FOID card. It makes no sense that the Army or Marines will trust you with all sorts of weapons, but if you wish to apply for a FOID card, you have to get your parents permission.
HB4075 “the Wilmette†bill simply gives people like Mr. DeMar a defense against absurd charges for violating a local handgun ban. When the House returns from the primary break, they will have three weeks to take up these bills.
In the Senate we have two companion bills to the bills above, SB2163 the 18-year-old FOID card by Senator Forby and SB2165 Senator Petka’s “Wilmette billâ€. As a compliment to SB2165, Senator Shadid has SB2386. This bill would prevent criminals from suing a homeowner who shot an intruder breaking into their home. The Senate has four days when they return on the 23rd to take up Senate bills for final passage.
The Senate looks to be the place where the battleground may take place. The City of Chicago has placed a priority on trying to pass their gun show bill after the primary. They seem to see the loss of support in the house where their measure passed by a single vote last time. Now their only hope lies with the senate bill that was amended, SB947. they are hoping to resurrect it and get a vote on the motion to concur with the house amendments.
If the vote on last year’s one gun per month bill was any indication, they are short of the 30 votes to pass the bill. New information published within the last few weeks also undermines their attempts to portray Illinois as having a problem with gun shows.
Anti-gunners at the state capitol had pinned their hopes on passage by the congress of their agenda since they seem so frustrated by their inability to pass anything in Illinois. One anti-gun legislator was crowing about the passage of the gun show amendment in the senate. But his glee was short lived once we explained to him that the bill was dead and so was his pet amendment. That meant that they once again were forced into trying something in Springfield with hopefully the same outcome as last time.
Anti-gun groups are hoping that they can somehow turn the US Senate votes into momentum or calls for action at the state house. They keep thinking that if they pile up a few more editorials they can shift the votes they need to pass their bills. They still haven’t looked at the map and come to grips with the real makeup of the legislature.
Maybe that is why the Brady Campaign has set up a regional office in Springfield and has had their representative wandering around the capitol and attending committee hearings. As if surveying Illinois to try and come to some sort of reason why their California of the Midwest has yet to take the lead or pass any of their pet projects.
And might we add, this is a high speed rollercoaster type ride in which all riders should be free from back ailments, heart conditions and motion sickness. Place your tray tables and seat backs in the upright position. And hang on. Welcome to the fray.
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ed. note: Todd Vandermyde is the NRA Contract Lobbyist for Illinois. He may be reached directly at [email protected]
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go read the,,,,window war,,,,,,thought provoking to say the least,,,,