Illinois House sends gun ban bill to Gov. Pritzker - Chicago Tribune

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into instrumentality Tuesday nighttime a broad measurement that supporters called 1 of the nation’s toughest bans connected subject benignant firearms, instantly prohibiting their merchantability and giving existent owners until Jan. 1 to registry weapon serial numbers with Illinois State Police.

“Illinois present officially prohibits the merchantability and organisation of these wide sidesplitting machines and accelerated occurrence devices,” said Pritzker, who was inaugurated for a 2nd word connected Monday during a ceremonial successful the Capitol. “I’m signing this authorities contiguous truthful that it tin instrumentality contiguous effect and we tin extremity the merchantability of these weapons of war.”

Pritzker signed the measure conscionable hours aft House Democrats led last transition of the measurement connected a 68-41 vote, and a time aft Senate Democrats approved it 34-20. Pritzker and legislators acted amid warnings from astir Republicans and gun-rights advocates that the caller instrumentality was unconstitutional and would look a ineligible challenge.

The House ballot connected the weapon prohibition came connected the last scheduled time of enactment for the lame-duck 102nd General Assembly, during which Democrats besides sent Pritzker a measure that would support wellness attraction professionals and radical seeking an termination oregon gender-affirming attraction successful Illinois from restrictive laws successful different states.

The caller 103rd General Assembly–all 118 House and 59 Senate members with Democratic supermajorities successful each chamber–is acceptable to statesman a caller league aft they are inaugurated connected Wednesday.

With Pritzker’s signature, Illinois became the ninth authorities to prohibition subject benignant firearms. The effort to execute the prohibition accelerated pursuing a deadly wide shooting astatine the Fourth of July parade successful Highland Park, wherever the alleged shooter utilized an AR-15 benignant of weapon.

“We got this done for each the victims, the spouses, the children, parents and friends and loved ones who are nary longer with us, and for those who person survived wide shootings but were injured,” Pritzker said aft reciting the names of the 7 radical killed astatine the parade.

“No azygous law…will extremity weapon unit erstwhile and for all. So we indispensable support fighting, voting and protesting to guarantee that aboriginal generations volition lone person to work astir massacres,” helium said. “It’s our load and our mandate, 1 that we transportation with solemn grant for our children, who volition turn up successful a amended and safer world.”

The caller instrumentality instantly bans the delivery, sale, import and acquisition of alleged “assault weapons.” After Jan. 1, radical who person an unregistered firearm covered by the prohibition look a misdemeanor for a archetypal discourtesy and a felony for consequent offenses.

The caller instrumentality besides instantly bans the delivery, merchantability oregon acquisition of ample capableness ammunition magazines of much than 10 rounds for agelong guns and 15 rounds for handguns. As of April 10, existent owners’ possession of large-capacity magazines volition beryllium allowed lone connected backstage property, astatine a firing scope oregon a athletics shooting contention oregon astatine a national licensed weapon trader for repairs. Violations volition beryllium taxable to a $1,000 fine.

In addition, devices that summation the firing rates of a firearm, known arsenic “switches,” to crook them into semi-automatic oregon automatic weapons, are instantly banned and idiosyncratic successful possession would look a felony number for each device.

The caller instrumentality besides speeds up to July from January the existing request for cosmopolitan inheritance checks by national firearm dealers oregon the State Police for backstage weapon sales.

It besides modifies the state’s existent “red flag” instrumentality that allows relatives and constabulary to question a tribunal approved firearm restraining bid to support guns retired of the hands of unsafe people. The caller instrumentality extends the duration of the orders from six months to a year.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker hugs weapon power advocator Maria Pike aft helium signed broad authorities to prohibition subject benignant firearms connected Jan. 10, 2023, astatine the Illinois State Capitol successful Springfield. Pike mislaid her son, Ricky, to weapon violence. Advocate Delphine Cherry, 3rd from right, who mislaid her children Tyesa and Tyler to weapon violence, wipes distant tears. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

State Rep. Tony McCombie, an hostile of the military-style firearms prohibition bill, speaks to co-sponsor Rep. Bob Morgan earlier the authorities passed connected Jan. 10, 2023, astatine the Illinois Capitol successful Springfield. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Most Republicans contended the authorities would bash thing to forestall crime, would tally antagonistic to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court involving Second Amendment rights and would look a tribunal situation upon becoming law.

State Rep. Blaine Wilhour of Beecher City, a subordinate of the ultraconservative Republican House Freedom Caucus, accused Pritzker and bulk Democrats of continuing to “allow our Constitution and our freedoms to beryllium shredded.”

“A authorities unchecked, a authorities consenting to defy our Constitution is simply a authorities that is wholly retired of control,” helium said. “You tin beryllium present and dictate immoderate you privation today. Maybe the governmental winds are successful your favour present today. But I tin archer you that we volition not comply and you’re not going to bash a darn happening astir it due to the fact that the law, the Constitution and the founding principles are connected our side.”

Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside declared that the Democratic-controlled legislature and Pritzker “reached a woody connected 1 of the strongest battle weapons bans successful the country.”

“It’s clip that we support Illinois communities. It’s clip that we support Illinois families. Let’s extremity families having to alteration overnight. Let’s not suffer immoderate much brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and children to weapon violence,” Welch said.

Two House Republicans — outgoing House GOP Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs and authorities Rep. Bradley Stephens of Rosemont — joined Democrats successful voting for the bill. Three House Democrats voted against it: authorities Reps. Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights, Michael Halpin of Rock Island and Lance Yednock of Ottawa.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch speaks to Reps. Theresa Mah, center, and Denyse Wang Stoneback aft the transition of the weapon measure connected Jan. 10, 2023, successful Springfield. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Democrats successful the Senate voted 41-16 and the House followed with a 70-39 rotation telephone to nonstop Pritzker a measurement helium supports that would widen termination and transgender protections to patients arsenic good arsenic wellness attraction workers who travel from different states.

The measurement was prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s determination successful June that overturned a national close of women to question an termination and turned the contented implicit to the idiosyncratic states.

Illinois has enshrined a close to an termination successful authorities law, making it 1 of the astir wide states connected the contented successful the country. Pritzker besides has called for the adjacent General Assembly to taxable to voters successful 2024 a connection to enactment the close to termination successful the authorities constitution.

“Right present determination are states crossed the state that are trying to criminalize parents for seeking aesculapian attraction for their children, seeking to criminalize large radical from being capable to marque decisions astir their bodies, states that are criminalizing radical who are looking for help,” said authorities Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago.

“This measure provides protections to patients, families and providers and it besides ensures meaningful entree to wellness care,” she said. “I bash judge this measure volition prevention lives.”

Outgoing authorities Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia, whose evangelical Christian-based absorption to termination was 1 origin successful his unsuccessful situation to Pritzker successful the Nov. 8 predetermination for governor, called the measurement “pure evil” earlier speechmaking a Bible verse.

“This is wrong,” helium concluded. “God assistance us.”

The Senate’s authorities is intimately aligned to a House connection that passed past week. Among its aims is expanding the excavation of wellness attraction providers who tin execute definite termination procedures successful an effort to easiness entree amid accrued request for services from Illinois termination clinics.

The measurement besides would authorize the authorities Department of Public Health to spouse with nonprofit groups to administer grants for termination grooming programs, with underserved areas and proscription hubs fixed a priority.

Additionally, the measurement authorizes protections for the transgender assemblage and their entree to gender-affirming care.

Also Tuesday, the legislature sent Pritzker a measure to make “closing fund” of astir $400 cardinal for usage astatine Pritzker’s discretion successful an effort to seal deals to pull businesses to the state. The measurement was approved connected an 86-23 House ballot and 40-15 Senate rotation call.

The measurement includes a proviso that would prohibit the politician from utilizing immoderate of the wealth to assistance the Chicago Bears make a caller shot stadium and amusement analyzable if they implicit a acquisition statement for the erstwhile Arlington International Racecourse property.

The Bears person said they would not request nationalist subsidies for operation of a caller stadium, but would would request assistance for processing the remainder of the 326-acre property. Pritzker has shown nary involvement successful providing nonstop nationalist financing to assistance the Bears.

“If the Bears are choosing to determination to Arlington Heights they can’t spell to the authorities and accidental springiness america immoderate wealth retired of the closing money to bash it,” said authorities Rep. Mike Zalewski, a Riverside Democrat who sponsored the measure. “I deliberation they are going to proceed to prosecute benignant of antithetic avenues of relief. I don’t cognize what that volition look similar successful the adjacent General Assembly.”

The measurement besides would supply further incentives aimed astatine attracting electrical conveyance and conveyance constituent suppliers to find successful Illinois.

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jgorner@chicagotribune.com