Daniel Didech, the bill’s sponsor, was just elected to the House this year. (Photo: Daniel Didech Facebook)
Like swine flu and skinny jeans, anti-gun legislation often works its way from state to state until the entire country has been infected. The latest example began in New York, where legislators proposed a bill that would require anyone purchasing a handgun to have their social media accounts and internet history reviewed by law enforcement.
Now Illinois has caught the bug as House representatives introduce legislation (HB 888) that would require state police to “conduct a search of the purchasers’ social media accounts available to the public to determine if there is any information that would disqualify the person from obtaining or require revocation of a currently valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card.”
Unlike New York’s law, which only requires a social media check for handgun licenses, Illinois’ would require a check to purchase rifles and shotguns as well, as an identification card is required for all firearms purchases.
In addition, the Illinois law requires applicants for a Firearms Owner’s Identification Card to provide state police with “a list of every social media account” owned by the applicant.
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“These bills will give us additional tools to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, while respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners,” said Democratic Representative Daniel Didech, the bill’s sponsor. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the coming months to pass these and other bills that will reduce gun violence and make our community safer.”
Opponents say laws like HB 888 not only restrict Second Amendment rights but First Amendment rights as well.
“The Bill of Rights is totally under assault with this particular bill,” New York Shooters Committee on Political Education President Tim Andrews said of the New York bill. “It’s an invasion of privacy. Some would see it as a Fourth Amendment violation and a violation of the First Amendment, freedom of speech.”
Illinois gun owners agree.
“Who’s going to make that judgement? What’s the parameter? What are they looking for?” Illinois gun shop owner Dan Cooley asked WAND 17.
SEE ALSO: Anti-gun Vermont Governor Under Fire from the ACLU for Deleting Pro-Gun Facebook Comments
Cooley believes giving authorities a list of social media sites invades applicant’s privacy and pointed out that the existing vetting process is sufficiently rigorous.
“We’ve been vetted,” Cooley said. “Anyone who has FOID card has been vetted through criminal background system, the mental health system in Illinois.”
The law is co-sponsored by Democratic Representatives Jonathan Carroll. It has been referred to the Rules Committee, where Democrats hold a 3-2 majority. The House is controlled by Democrats 74 to 44.
I guess they are having trouble understanding the term “… shall not be infringed.”
All these socialist join the ranks of other famous leaders who started out as socialist but turned into Facists when in power. Like Hitler, Stalin,Mussolini and Mao. Socialism wants to regulate your life. Fascism wants to run your life. With the the leaders deciding just how much of your life can be under their control. Does any thinking person really want to accept this? Not me.
Sadly, in ILLinois possession of ammo (even 1 round) without a FOID card is a felony . Even in the down-state areas, people are strong-armed with the foid rules.
Even more sad is that the people of the state keep voting Dem’s into the state house, thinking they are the Democrats of a by-gone era that were for the working man, instead of the Chicago Socialists.
Why should it bother non- ILL people? Because this Dem state is bringing in undocumented democrats to replace the votes of working people who are fleeing the state, and that will ultimately determine who goes to Wash DC . Look at the meandering congressional districts, and state debt…. this will be a national problem on many fronts.
That’s why I moved out of Illinois!
This should also be required of everyone to vote.
The FOID card is the “mental health system in Illinois”?!?!?!?!?!?
No it isn’t. That’s a crock of crap.
It’s no better than and gets the majority of it’s info from the Feds database, the NCIC.
The manure some people spread is entertaining.
ENTERTAINING ? Definition please.
In the “People’s republic of Illinois” you will be governed by what the City of Chicago deems appropriate. Look at them. The rural residents in the south suffer from the idiot democratic rules in Chicago. That state is a classic example of what would happen on a national scale if the Electoral College were eliminated. The rural majority of the nation would be governed by the liberal big Metro areas. I was in Joliet a while back (Resident of Indiana) and was wasting some times in a sporting good retailer. I wanted to look at a handgun and couldn’t because I had no FOID.
Illinois is no longer a republic it has slid to a democracy down to a socialistic crap.
This seems totally logical to me. A lot of employers are checking social media before they hire a new employee. My wife does interviews at her job, and she told me she checks social media to see what kind of stupidity the prosective employee is up to…why wouldn’t the government check there as well?
The benchmark should be rather or not a search warrant would be needed to gather this “evidence” for an arrest, under other circumstances .
If the information is gathered from public published sites like Facebook or Twitter it’s free game, but personal or business email should require a warrant…..
If someone declares they will start a war, maybe a closer look is prudent, however I’m afraid if someone opposes Speaker Madigan or Gov. Pritzner’s politics then this will be used against them.
Illinois is already taking the licensing of gun dealers and making it a State Police function, rather than a commerce function.
It’s not reasonable! You don’t have a right to a job. Further, that’s a private company checking your social media….not the government.
Why do they do that? Most of what is on social media is junk or lies. We are relying on to much of this sort of junk.
If this is to become the new norm (using the first amendment to infringed on the second) then I call for compromise.
1. Any individual who has personal views that conflict with the Constitution as written (ie. Socialists, Nazis, Muslims, etc.), Can not run for government office of any kind.
2. Any individual who seems to undermine the Constitution of the United States in any way, shape, or form, must be charged with treason.
3. Disrespecting the flag, pledge of allegiance, or national anthem of the United States of America is also treason.
I say Hoorah!
Sounds like invasion of our 1st Amendment rights! So they can review all your social media accounts and determine what might cause grounds for suspension of your gun rights. Hell u could say gun in your post and that could be enough to single u out. Sounds like Gestapo tactics to me! Wait they might be able to use this against me one day.
The Illinois FOID card is required to have a firearm and ammunition within the state of Illinois not just the purchase of a firearm and ammunition. You can not have a firearm or ammunition without that stupid FOID card. You have to present that card when you want to look and handle at a firearm also in Illinois.
Good Reason NOT to live in Ill. Only been there once ” Great Lakes “