Pritzker endorses Illinois assault weapons ban
Illinois Democrats have introduced the Protect Illinois Communities Act — a bill that would heavily restrict assault weapons — and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has voiced his support of the legislation.
Illinois Democrats have introduced the Protect Illinois Communities Act — a bill that would heavily restrict assault weapons — and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has voiced his support of the legislation.
During a public appearance in Chicago, Pritzker said that he hopes that the bill reaches his desk and is put into law before the Fourth of July, which would be the one-year anniversary of the Highland Park shooting.
“I favor the legislation that he’s put forward,” Pritzker said about state Rep. Bob Morgan (D), the bill’s sponsor. “The legislative process can be a grinding one that requires a lengthier look at each piece.”
With Democratic supermajorities in Illinois’ Senate and House, a version of Morgan’s assault weapons ban will likely go into effect sometime soon. Even under the new state legislature set to get sworn in in January, the Democratic majority will increase to 78-40 in the House, while Senate Democrats will only lose one seat, bringing their majority to 40-19. Regardless of which chamber takes on the bill, Pritzker has made it clear he wants this legislation as soon as possible.
“Whether it happens during the lame-duck session, which I know is the expectation, or it happens during regular session … It’s important that we do it as fast as possible, there’s no doubt,” Pritzker continued. “But I want to be clear that our aim is to get it done in the first half of the year.”
Morgan’s ban would prohibit the manufacture, sale and purchase of dozens of high-powered assault weapons and extended magazines. People who already own any weapons on the list must register them with the Illinois State Police no more than 300 days after the bill passes. The full list of weapons can be found on page 53 of the bill’s draft.
Other provisions include raising the legal gun ownership age from 18 to 21, with exceptions for active-duty military, National Guard members and those employed by the federal government that are required to carry a firearm for their job. Anyone under the age of 21 that desires to hunt must do so with a FOID card carrier who is 21 years old or older.
Mass shootings have been an uncomfortable mainstay in the United States in recent years, with hundreds increasingly occurring each year.
