EAST ST. LOUIS – After the Illinois legislature approved and Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill outlawing assault-style weapons, they are officially banned Wednesday morning in Illinois. Governor Pritzker signed the bill Tuesday night in Springfield after the Illinois House passed it earlier in the day 68 to 41.
The bill initially cleared the House last week, but then the house had to pass it again after the senate approved the legislation with some changes. The ban took effect immediately. It is now illegal to sell assault weapons in Illinois.
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Illinois now is the ninth state in the U.S. to pass an assault weapons ban. The legislation caps the purchase of ammunition magazines at 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns. The legislation says rapid-fire devices, known as “switches,” are also banned because they turn firearms into fully automatic weapons.
Pending assault rifle sales are supposedly still being processed, but only if the required background checks have already been started. Those who already own assault weapons are able to retain them, but they must register the firearms with Illinois State Police.
The new law at this point in time was pushed after the deadly mass shooting at a fourth of July parade last year in Highland Park. Seven people were killed and many more were injured in the gunfire.
“I’m signing this legislation tonight so that it can take immediate effect, and we can end the sale of these weapons of war as soon as possible,” Pritzker expressed.
Senator Darren Bailey had a defiant statement in regard to the legislation: “You also must know that I and millions of other gun owners in this state will not comply,” he said. “You’ve got to know that the actions that you’re taking right now are tyrannous. The Second Amendment protects ownership of all firearms, even ones that weren’t invented at the time of its drafting.”
State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) issued the following statement after her vote against the firearm ban signed into law by Governor Pritzker Tuesday night:
“I voted against the firearm ban signed tonight by Governor Pritzker because I support the Second Amendment and believe this bill is unconstitutional. I am optimistic that law-abiding citizen’s right to keep and bear arms will prevail in court when this law is struck down.”
“For the past four years, my administration and my colleagues in the State Capitol have been battling the powerful forces of the NRA to enshrine the strongest and most effective gun violence legislation that we possibly can,” Pritzker continued. “I couldn’t be prouder to say that we got it done. And we will keep fighting — bill by bill, vote by vote, and protest by protest — to ensure that future generations only hear about massacres like Highland Park, Sandy Hook, and Uvalde in their textbooks.”
“Gun violence anywhere is a threat to wellbeing everywhere. In Illinois, lawmakers, advocates, and gun violence survivors stood together and worked for decisive, protective change,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Thank you, Governor Pritzker, for your steadfast leadership on this issue. Illinois is proud to do the work and to pass one of the strongest pieces of legislation in the country to make communities safer. Gun violence is not our normal, and it never will be.”
“From ending the sale of assault rifles to stopping the tidal wave of guns flooding into Illinois from surrounding states, the Protect Illinois Communities Act is one of the strongest gun safety laws in the nation,” said House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch. “This legislation is the culmination of months of negotiations between advocacy organizations, law enforcement, state leaders, and stakeholders from across the state. We know that gun violence is an epidemic and an overwhelming majority of Illinoisans agree that the time for common-sense reform is now.
"Delivering on this promise - the promise to remove these weapons of war from our parks, our schools, our movie theatres, churches, and communities throughout Illinois - will remain one of my proudest achievements as Speaker of the House.”
Mark Maggos, of Trigger Talent, a trainer for people in Illinois State Conceal and Carry licenses, said again on Tuesday the Pritzker and legislative decision violates the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
Maggos’ contention is Pritzker has tried to advance the state in regard to gun laws to make an eventual higher office run, possibly the presidency.
“This woefully violates our Second Amendment,” Maggos said. “I don’t think it will hold up in court. The Second Amendment was specifically written to prevent tyranny in our government. I look for the gun activists to start filing court action right away about the decision.”
Rep. Robin Kelly had this to say about the bill being signed into law by Gov. Pritzker: “I am deeply grateful that my home state of Illinois has taken this critical step toward making our communities safe for everyone. Allowing assault weapons to persist on our streets is antithetical to our most deeply held values. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes and their communities. Assault weapons do not only cause harm when they grab headline news for mass shootings. Too often, a beloved son or daughter or mother or father is taken away from their family because of these weapons of war."
“The people of Illinois will be better off because of this legislation. I especially want to thank my friend, Representative Bob Morgan, who sponsored this legislation and was a tireless advocate for its passage. As we celebrate this historic victory, I am reminded of how much more we can accomplish in Congress to address the public health crisis of gun violence. Addressing practices like interstate gun trafficking will prevent guns from states with fewer safeguards on gun ownership from illegally coming into Illinois. This must be done at the federal level, and I will continue to work hard in Congress to make this policy a reality.”
“I have spent my career working to protect people from the growing plague of gun violence that touches every corner of our state,” said Senate President Don Harmon. “This new law begins the pushback against weapons whose only intent is to eviscerate other human beings. I am proud to have worked on it and even prouder to see it signed into law.”
“Our state demanded firearm reform to reduce gun violence, and the legislature stepped up and delivered one of the strongest bills in the nation, one that can serve as a model for states,” said state Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) “I thank Gov. Pritzker, Senate President Harmon, Speaker Welch, and the countless survivors and family members who sat with us, shared their stories and refused to give up until they got the change we all needed.”
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