Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) sought silence on the floor and then sought answers regarding proposed gun-control related legislation.
The proposed legislation, SB2561, sponsored by Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) and presented last month on the Senate floor, provides that only federally authorized firearm dealers may offer for sale pre-packaged explosive components, requires the dealers to keep a record of such sales and prohibits the sale to anyone without a firearm owners identification card (FOID).
The proposal was questioned by Righter, but not before he hushed the room.
Sen. Dale Righter
“Sen. Morrison I am going to ask you if you could to repeat that because this place sounds like a convention hall on the last night of the party,” Righter said.
Morrison reiterated details of the bill and said lawmakers had discussed the legislation in 2017.
“I quite honestly do not recall one word of the debate or conversation we had last year about this, so talk to me and the body on why you think this is a necessary step,” Righter said.
“We are talking about Tannerite, which its exclusive use is for an explosion,” Morrison said.
He explained that it is mainly used for target practice and there are no restrictions on the sale of the product.
“This is something you or I can go into a store and purchase 600 pounds of without a question, without identification and without any concern,” Morrison said. “It could potentially be used in a very destructive or almost terroristic way, and I have heard of no opposition from firearm owners or even retail merchants.”
But it was not opposition Righter was seeking to debate.
“Do we know or have a record ... of an instance where someone has used this who did not have a FOID card and who then used it for illicit purposes because that’s where you are going,” Righter said. “You are saying if you have a FOID card it is OK for you to buy it; but if you don’t have a FOID card, it is not OK for you to buy it.”
Morrison could not come up with an example.
“We are getting in front of a problem before it occurs senator,” Morrison said.
That was enough of an answer for Righter to end the debate.
The Senate voted 42-6 to approve SB2561. The House version of the bill is currently in committee.
Alerts Sign-up