SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the ISRA Political Victory Fund (ISRA-PVF):

A proposal to ban hundreds of models of popular sporting rifles and shotguns is raising the ire of gun owners across Illinois. Sponsored by Senate President Emil Jones, SB16 prohibits the manufacture, sale and possession of a host of rifles and shotguns widely used for hunting and target shooting. Owners of affected firearms would have 90-days to surrender their property to the Illinois State Police or risk felony prosecution.

"The net effect of this bill would be the destruction of many time-honored Illinois traditions," said ISRA-PVF spokesman, Richard Pearson. "Competitive target shooting -- enjoyed by thousands of
Illinoisans -- would become a thing of the past. Collectors would feel the sting of this legislation as well, since their collections would become virtually worthless overnight. Thanks to the ambiguous wording of the bill, its passage would instantly create hundreds of thousands of felons out of folks who have never gotten so much as a parking ticket before. The kicker is, this bill contains absolutely no provisions that address violent criminals -- its sole impact is on the law-abiding hunter and sportsman."

"If SB16 passes the Senate, the state's gun owners will know exactly where to place the blame," continued Pearson. "That blame rests squarely with the senate Democrats, both north and south of I-80, who elevated Emil Jones to the president's chair."

"The lawful firearm owners of Illinois have enjoyed mutually-beneficial relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle," commented Pearson. "If SB16 passes, many of those relationships will come to a screeching halt. Southern Illinois politics are in a state of change, with senate races getting closer all the time. If the senate Democrats who elected Emil Jones to the presidency cannot control him, then we'll do what we can to take his majority away from him. No friend of Emil Jones is a friend of ours."

The ISRA-PVF is a political action committee affiliated with the Illinois State Rifle Association. A copy of our report is available for a fee from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.