Illinois Gov Signs Sweeping Gun Bill Into Law

 Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday night that will enact a statewide ban on so-called “assault weapons” and place a limit on magazine capacities, according to CBS Chicago.

The bill, HB 5471, will outlaw the sale, manufacture, possession and purchase of “assault-style” weapons, assault weapon attachments and .50 caliber cartridges, while also limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns, according to the legislation. Pritzker signed the legislation late Tuesday night after the Illinois House of Representatives voted on revisions passed by the state Senate.  

“For a long time now, I and many other leaders in the Illinois General Assembly have prioritized getting the most dangerous weapons off our state’s streets. Today, honoring the commitment we made, we passed one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the nation, one I will be proud to sign.” Pritzker said in a press release before signing the bill.

“No Illinoisan, no matter their zip code, should have to go through life fearing their loved one could be the next in an ever-growing list of victims of mass shootings,” he continued.

The House voted 68-41 to approve the ban Tuesday afternoon, according to CBS Chicago. The bill passed 34-20 in the Illinois Senate on Monday.

Illinois residents who own guns that are now restricted under the law all be able to keep them, but will be required to register the firearms with the state police, according to the legislation. Magazines owned before the new capacity requirements take effect can also be kept, but the now illegal magazines and firearms must be used on private property.

Republican representatives urged Democratic lawmakers to vote against the bill, which was approved during the last day of the lame duck session, saying the law will penalize legal gun owners, according to speeches given during the state House’s session Tuesday.

Some Republican lawmakers suggested waiting until Illinois’s 2023 legislative session starts Wednesday.

Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose said that the state already has gun legislation that mitigates gun violence, and the new law would penalize citizens who are already following the law, according to The State-Journal Register.

“Enforce the laws that already exist. We’re going to make felons out of taxpayers. Put the bad guys behind the bars, not the good guys,” he said, according to the outlet.

State Sens. Darren Bailey and Neil Anderson said the bill was an “affront” to the Second Amendment, and Bailey predicts that the Illinois Supreme Court will rule the new law to be in violation of the Constitution, according to the The State-Journal Register.

“You’ve got to know the actions that you are taking are tyrannous. You also must know that I and millions of other gun owners in this state will not comply,” Bailey said, the outlet reported.

Anderson called the bill “hypocritical,” saying Democratic lawmakers believe they are banning “weapons of war,” but fail to mention weapons used in war such as the M1 Garand and 1911 handgun, according to the The State-Journal Register.

“The hypocrisy that we are trying to ban so-called ‘weapons of war,’ but yet the weapons of war that you actually speak of are not weapons of war,” he said, later suggesting that those who are in favor of the bill should resign, according to The State-Journal Register.

Democratic Illinois Senate President Don Harmon countered Anderson, saying that the M1 Garand and 1911 were not included because they have small magazine capacities, according to The State-Journal Register. “The weapons on this list are designed to do one thing and one thing only: kill people in a horribly brutal, vicious way,” he said.