Pritzker Signs Assault Weapon Ban, Gun Supporters Promise Lawsuit
Governor JB Pritzker celebrates with gun control advocates after signing an assault weapon ban into law Tuesday night in Springfield. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Just hours after the General Assembly finalized the assault weapons ban, Governor JB Pritzker signed the bill into law Tuesday night. With an immediate effective date, some of the highest profile gun bans in the country are already in effect.
“Today, we made history,” Said Governor Pritzker. “[This is] one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the nation.”
The new law bans the delivery, sale, import and purchase of semi-automatic rifles defined as “assault weapons.”
The new law also immediately bans the delivery, sale or purchase of large capacity ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns. As of April 10, current owners’ possession of large-capacity magazines will be allowed only on private property, at a firing range or a sport shooting competition or at a federal licensed gun dealer for repairs.
Pritzker praised Democratic legislators for standing up to the NFL.
“Our state and our nation has been held hostage by the NRA and its allies time and time again,” Pritzker said. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”
But gun rights supporters are immensely critical of the legislation.
Richard Pearson, the Executive Director of the Illinois State Rifle Association told The Illinoize shortly before the bill was signed into law last night that the law is misguided.
“This bill attacks law abiding firearm owners more than it attacks criminals, by far,” he said. “They’re taking defensive firearms out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Criminals are not going to follow the law anyway, so they’re giving the criminals an advantage.”
Pearson predicts the provision of the law requiring serial numbers of existing assault weapons to be ignored by 85% of gun owners around the state.
“Anytime you have firearm registration it is followed, at some point, by confiscation,” he said.
Pearson says attorneys are already preparing a lawsuit and expects it to be filed soon.
“We’ll probably see the Governor and the Senate President and the Speaker of the House in court real soon,” Pearson predicted.
