Virginia@: Public Safety & Action Alert

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Greetings!

This is fact.... at the moment the State Police are fighting the

release, but keep alert....

PROTECT YOUR FOID INFORMATION

FROM THE PRESS

Imagine a criminal with this knowledge! Sitting in a car down

the street waiting for you, a gun owner, to leave your house, breaking

in and stealing a gun and something else to identify you, and then he walks next door, robs and shoots the, non-gun owner, family and leaves your gun and stuff with your finger prints there for the

police to find!

ISRA Action Alert: Lisa Madigan wants to
give your FOID info to the press

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, in response to a Freedom of Information
Act request from the Associated Press, is ordering the Illinois State Police to
release the names of FOID holders to the press.

If you have not already heard this news, let that sink in for a few seconds.
This is information that the Illinois State Police have held in confidence for
over 40 years. This would mean the release of your name, as a FOID holder. If
you have a unique name, and an anti-gun employer, your job will be at risk.
Perhaps you are a collector, will you be targeted for your firearms collection?
Will violent criminals be able to determine which households don't have firearms
for protection?

Lisa Madigan is no friend to firearms owners, she thinks that you need to have
your name published to punish you for being a law-abiding gun owner.

There is pending legislation in the Illinois House and the Illinois Senate that
would forever keep your FOID information private.

WHAT YOU MUST DO TO PREVENT THE RELEASE OF YOUR FOID INFORMATION:

1. Call your state representative starting as soon as your receive this alert
and urge him or her to support and co-sponsor House Bill 7 - FOID Holder
Privacy. Remember that you will likely be talking your representative's
secretary, they are there doing a job that can be challenging at times: please
be kind and direct.

If you do now know who your state representative is, go to the following web
site and follow the directions for looking up your legislators: Illinois State
Board of Elections . If you know who your State Representative is, you can look
up the phone numbers of their Springfield and district offices right from the
ISRA's legislative page . www.ilga.gov

2. Then call your state senator and urge him or her to support and co-sponsor
Senate Bill 27 - FOID Holder Privacy. Again, you will likely be talking the
secretary.

Find your State Senator at: Illinois State Board of Elections . If you know who
your State Senator is, the ISRA has a page where you can look up their phone
number.

3. Pass this alert on to all your friends and family, ask them to make calls as
well.

4. Please post this alert to any and all blogs and bulletin boards to which you
may belong. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, in response to a Freedom of
Information Act request from the Associated Press, is ordering the Illinois
State Police to release the names of FOID holders to the press.

Illinois State Rifle Association | PO Box 637 | Chatsworth | IL | 60921

For Immediate Release                                                      Contact: Rep. Rich Morthland
March 3, 2011                                                                                     (309) 762-3008

Morthland Sponsoring FOID Card Privacy Amendment

Springfield... State Representative Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) is sponsoring legislation to protect the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Morthland has filed an amendment to House Bill 3500, which would protect the privacy rights of Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card holders by prohibiting state or local law enforcement agencies from disclosing lists of information pertaining to FOID Card holders or applicants. The amendment would add an exemption to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act to ensure that the names and personal information of FOID Card holders and applicants are not made public.

"Earlier this week, the Chicago politicians stepped up their assault on our Second Amendment gun rights," Morthland said. "They killed common-sense legislation that would have protected the privacy rights of gun owners. I am working with the National Rifle Association to add that language to a bill I am sponsoring in the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee."

Representative Morthland plans to amend his bill with the language from House Bill 7, which was defeated Wednesday in the House Judiciary I - Civil Law Committee on a 5-5 vote. Morthland filed Committee Amendment No. 1 to House Bill 3500, which contains the FOID Card privacy language, following the defeat of House Bill 7.

Morthland's legislation is in response to a ruling by Attorney General Lisa Madigan that declared the names of FOID Card holders to be public information that must be disclosed. The Illinois State Police, which oversees the program, opposes the Attorney General's ruling and is preparing a possible court challenge. The National Rifle Association also opposes releasing the names and addresses of FOID Card holders.

"There should be a reasonable expectation of privacy for FOID Card holders," Morthland said. "Releasing their names or other personal information could endanger the safety of gun owners and their families, as criminals may target their homes in an effort to steal firearms. The General Assembly should take action to protect the privacy rights of gun owners."

Morthland's amendment has been referred to the House Rules Committee, which is controlled by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), father of Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Before the amendment can be adopted, the Rules Committee must first refer the amendment to the Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

"I have sent a letter to Speaker Madigan and Majority Leader Currie requesting that the Rules Committee assign my amendment to the Agriculture and Conservation Committee," Morthland said. "I certainly hope the Speaker will allow a fair hearing for my amendment and I am confident my colleagues on that committee will support this important legislation."

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Paid for by the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland.
www.electmorthland.com