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SPRINGFIELD — Assault weapons tin nary longer beryllium sold successful Illinois.
The authorities instantly banned the merchantability of the military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines Tuesday evening, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature connected a measure the House had passed conscionable hours earlier.
“Today, we made history, becoming the ninth authorities to institute an battle weapons prohibition —and 1 of the strongest battle weapons bans successful the nation,” Pritzker said conscionable earlier signing the measure successful a ceremonial rapidly enactment unneurotic astatine the authorities Capitol.
“I’m grateful that radical cared capable to get this done now,” the politician said moments later, aft holding up the signed bill. “This volition prevention lives.”
His signature soon earlier 8:30 p.m. instantly bans the merchantability of battle weapons successful Illinois and caps the acquisition of magazines astatine 10 rounds for agelong guns and 15 for handguns. It besides makes rapid-fire devices, known arsenic “switches,” amerciable due to the fact that they crook firearms into afloat automatic weapons. Those already owning the banned guns would beryllium allowed to support them but would person to registry them with the Illinois State Police by Jan. 1.
In summation to thanking the legislators and activists who bucked the weapon lobby to walk the bill, the politician paid tribute to immoderate of the lives mislaid to battle weapons.
“It’s been a hard fought battle. But we person done this for Highland Park’s Kevin and Irina McCarthy, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Katherine Goldstein, Eduardo Uvaldo, Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza and Stephen Straus. For Benito Juarez High School’s Brandon Perez and Nathan Billegas, conscionable 15 and 14,” Pritzker said.
“We got this done for each the victims, children, parents, friends and loved ones who are nary longer with us. And for those who person survived wide shootings, but were injured. Today we grant them, their trauma and their nonaccomplishment by preventing others from becoming victims.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks astatine the bill-signing ceremonial Tuesday evening.
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The transition comes six months aft a gunman successful Highland Park killed the 7 and wounded much than 48 radical astatine a Fourth of July parade. Police accidental shooting fishy Robert Crimo III utilized a Smith & Wesson M&P15, an AR-15-style semiautomatic firearm whose initials, M&P, basal for “military and police.”
Earlier successful the time the Illinois House voted 68-41 to o.k. the measure, which included immoderate changes made by the Illinois Senate.
“The radical of the large authorities of Illinois person been waiting decades for authorities conscionable similar this,” said measure sponsor authorities Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield. “Let them hold nary longer.”
State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, answers questions Tuesday astir the battle weapons prohibition helium sponsored.
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Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering applauded the bill’s transition and called it an “important step,” but urged the national authorities to travel suit and enact a nationalist ban.
“We request continued bold enactment to code wide shootings crossed our nation,” Rotering said successful a statement, calling connected Washington and different states to travel Illinois’ lead. “We impulse them to proceed their enactment towards protecting each Americans’ rights to unrecorded escaped from fearfulness of weapon violence.”
Final transition of the measure took immoderate wrangling betwixt the House and Senate aft the House past week cleared the measure. But successful the end, the 2 chambers — and Pritzker — came unneurotic to seal the deal.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering recounts what happened during the wide shooting successful her metropolis during a Senate Judiciary Committee proceeding astir the shooting and civilian entree to military-style battle weapons successful Washington, D.C., successful July.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images-file
Republicans and gun-rights advocates person repeatedly argued the measurement is unconstitutional and volition penalize ineligible weapon owners.
But Democrats said they’d rotation the dice — considering immoderate magnitude of clip successful which battle limb income are banned successful the authorities to beryllium a win. There were besides archetypal concerns from transgression justness advocates astir penalties for those caught with amerciable guns and magazines. Republicans besides criticized the types of weapons listed successful the measure, arguing immoderate were being utilized strictly for hunting.
During debate, authorities Rep. Tom Bennett, R-Gibson City, said the measure volition greatly interaction the 2.4 cardinal “law-abiding weapon owners” successful the state. He besides declared the inaugural unconstitutional.
Changes made by the Senate to the measurement included asking the Illinois State Police by administrative regularisation to supply further guidance to marque definite hunters are not impeded. Private information contractors would besides beryllium offered exemptions regarding their firearms and magazines. And the usage of large-capacity magazines would beryllium allowed connected backstage spot and astatine firing ranges and athletics shooting competitions 90 days aft the measurement becomes law.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the battle weapons prohibition successful Springfield Tuesday evening.
Blue Room Stream
Language connected high-capacity magazines was besides changed, with 10 rounds allowed for agelong guns and 15 for handguns. The database of battle weapons was besides updated. Other changes included allowing the Illinois State Police to adhd guns to the database of banned battle weapons.
House Democrats introduced the measurement connected Dec. 1 — and held 3 committee hearings successful Chicago that featured much than 12 hours of affectional grounds from victims of weapon violence, survivors and gun-rights advocates.
The archetypal measure featured connection that would person raised the eligibility for a authorities firearm owner’s recognition paper to 21. But that was rapidly removed from the measurement past week during House negotiations.
Legislators sought to adjacent what they saw arsenic loopholes that led to the Highland Park shooting.
Photos of those killed successful the Highland Park Fourth of July parade wide shooting: Nicolas Toledo, 78, (from left); Jacki Sundheim, 63; Irina McCarthy, 35; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Stephen Straus, 88; Katherine Goldstein, 64; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69, were featured astatine a memorial tract successful the northbound suburb July 7.
Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times file
The Highland Park fishy was capable to get a FOID paper earlier helium was 21 and bargain aggregate guns contempt 2 incidents successful 2019 successful which helium allegedly threatened to harm himself and his family.
Crimo was sponsored for a FOID paper by his begetter due to the fact that helium was underage. Crimo past went connected to acquisition 3 firearms astatine property 20 and different the time helium turned 21. He was 21 astatine the clip of the massacre.
In January 2019, Illinois created a “red flag” instrumentality that allows relatives and constabulary to petition courts to get a firearm restraining bid to support a unsafe idiosyncratic from having a gun.
The caller authorities would besides widen the duration of firearm restraining orders from six months to a year. It would besides springiness state’s attorneys lasting to assistance successful filing specified an order.
Eight different states and the District of Columbia presently prohibit guns defined arsenic battle weapons.
The Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reported successful Octoberthat much radical successful Chicago person large-capacity magazines and “switches” that person handguns into amerciable instrumentality guns that tin occurrence 20 shots successful astir a second.
Law enforcement officials said they judge the large-capacity magazines and switches are tied to an summation successful wide shootings.
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