Second Amendment advocate William Kirk in Quincy with a warning to gun owners

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William Kirk: “I have never seen a state with more corruption baked into it than Illinois.”

VIDEO

QUINCY–Defense attorney and host of a popular YouTube show on gun rights, William Kirk, was in Quincy Thursday evening with a warning to gun owners.

“Gun control is not about the gun, it’s about the control,” Kirk said. “It’s not gun control, it’s civilian disarmament. All gun control legislation ever does is affect the lawful, responsible gun owners, who are not the ones out there committing the crime.”

Kirk was the guest of the Quincy Chapter of Guns Save Life, Inc., which has 11 chapters throughout the state of Illinois. The mission is to educate about and protect the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which is the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

The chapter partnered with Right To Bear, a legal and insurance provider for gun owners in criminal and civil prosecution. A Right to Bear representative told the crowd the company would commit a portion of memberships sold at the event to the local Guns Save Life chapter.

Kirk (left) is traveling the country with Right To Bear, a provider of legal and insurance protection for gun owners-MRN photo by Michele McCormack

Kirk said he began his program, Washington Gun Law, at the height of the protests in Seattle. He lives in Washington state.

When he started getting feedback from viewers who had sheer panic in their voices about their gun rights, it changed the course of his career.

And, he noticed half of his subscribers were from Illinois.

He now travels the country, and in Quincy in particular, expressed grave concerns about several pieces of legislation in Illinois, namely House Bill 3320, known as the Responsibility in Firearm Legislation, or RIFL Act.

“You could literally drive every single gun company from ever wanting to do business in Illinois,” Kirk said. “It’s the most evil piece of legislation I’ve seen.”

Kirk likens it to an “extortion scheme” because it attaches licensing fees to manufacturers equal to the cost to offset Illinois’ gun violence problem, including suicide.

“The number selected by the state of Illinois for year one is $866 million in licensing fees,” Kirk said. “It also cheapens suicide prevention when we only talk about the guns.”

The bill also includes penalties for noncompliance. Manufacturers who violate the act could face civil fines of up to $1 million per month, while firearm retailers could be fined $10,000 per violation.

Proponents argue that the bill shifts the financial burden of gun-related injuries from taxpayers to the manufacturers. It also forces gun makers to adopt safety technologies, such as fingerprint sensors.

“It’s the polar ends that seem to be the most vocal and get all the attention, where the majority of people lie closer to the center,” Kirk said.

Guns Save Life is especially irked at the time it’s taking for Illinois’ Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on its challenge of the Protect Illinois Community Act, or PICA.

Kirk said this is a common strategy to pass a “crappy law” and then drag your feet to see if gun owners will give up.

Oral arguments in the case were several months ago, and plaintiffs insist the judges are bound by a promise to swift appellate review in cases regarding constitutionality.

PICA, which was signed into law on January 10, 2023, (Public Act 102-1116), bans the sale, manufacture, and distribution of specific “assault weapons,” high-capacity magazines, and switches. Existing owners were required to register these items with the Illinois State Police by January 1, 2024.

Supporters say the aim was to prevent mass shootings.

Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul maintain that the banned items are “offensive, militaristic instruments,” not commonly used for self-defense.

Critics argue that the common use doctrine prohibits the banning of any arm that is used for any lawful purposes, and that includes collection, not just personal protection.

“Gun rights in general are big, especially in Adams County,” Kristen Garrett, Director for the Quincy Chapter of Guns Save Life, said. “People just want to make sure their rights are protected. We formed this group in Adams County when all of this began. People in this chapter are waiting for answers from our government. We defend the right to defend ourselves.”

Kristen Garrett is the Director of the Quincy Chapter of Guns Save Life-MRN photo by Michele McCormack

While many might assume gun ownership is a federal issue, Kirk says what’s going on in Illinois proves it’s really states that are impacting gun owners, and that’s why it’s important to vote, especially in local elections.

“What’s happening here in Illinois, the federal government hasn’t taken Illinois residents’ gun rights, but the state government sure has,” Kirk said. “You got almost 2.5 million FOID (Firearm Owners Identification) card holders in the state, and about 20% of them are voting. So, you’re leaving roughly two million votes on the table every year.”

Kirk says those are the kind of numbers that can make a significant difference in all the local districts and the statewide level.

“I’m questioning whether Illinois is that blue of a state,” Kirk said.

Hosting guest speakers is just one of the activities organized by Guns Save Life, Inc. It hosts open, free meetings at the Eagles Club in Quincy the last Wednesday of the month.

Education programs include:

range safety

first aid

concealed carry

self-defense protection

“A lot of the older generations come,” Garrett said. “But, I love to see the younger generations and women especially, to teach them and educate them on how to protect themselves.”