SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Freedom Caucus is issuing the following statement on the recently filed House Bill 5855, which is perhaps the most hostile attack on the 2nd Amendment to date.
“There is universal agreement mass shootings are evil and wrong. The disagreement comes in how to deal with the problem. For some, the path to stopping mass shootings is to strip honest citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights. Between federal, state, and local governments, our nation has in excess of 20,000-gun laws. If enacting more laws were the solution, the problem would have been solved long ago.
Infringing on the rights of honest gun owners by banning certain types of firearms, denying young people their 2nd Amendment Rights, and creating a path to a gun registry are lazy and ineffective responses to a serious problem. Americans have had access to firearms since our nation’s founding. Why are we seeing more mass shootings now? What is driving these young men to turn violence? These are the questions we need to be asking instead of merely focusing on firearms. The systematic devaluing of human life coupled with the breakdown of the family is doing tremendous damage to our young people – particularly young men. We must solve the problem at its root cause.
Enacting even more laws, we can’t enforce is pathetic virtue signaling that won’t actually stop mass shootings. Instead of attacking the rights of honest citizens, we call on our colleagues to fulfill their oath of office by standing up for our Constitution even the parts of that document they don’t like.”
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Chris Miller (R-Oakland); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) and Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.