SPRINGFIELD — Illinois moved one step closer to banning the sale of assault weapons in the state — as the Illinois Senate on Monday approved legislation that would also halt the sale of large capacity magazines.
Senators made several changes to the measure that cleared the Illinois House on Friday, and it must now go back to the Illinois House for concurrence.
With the Illinois General Assembly holding its inaugurations on Wednesday, Tuesday is the last day of the lame duck session.
And that second to last day was indeed a busy one, including the governor and top Democratic leaders working through their own internal differences, and a mother urging action by playing the recorded screams of a child reacting to the horrors of the Highland Park massacre.
“This is what it sounds like when a child runs from an assault weapon,” Ashbey Beasley told senators after the screams filled a Senate hearing room. “This is what happens when a child goes to a parade in our country.”
Hours later, the Illinois Senate voted 34-20 to approve the package of gun restrictions.
“There are many laws on the books but in the end, what we believe is the proliferation and ready access to high powered weapons that have original basis in military and combat have no place in common commerce and an our streets,” bill sponsor Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said during debate.
“This is an effort that will not solve the problem. We don’t pretend that it will. But it is an additional tool to curb the flow of firearms into our communities, firearms that absolutely destroy and eviscerate human beings and for which there are much more satisfactory substitutes for hunting.”
To those claiming the legislation will be deemed unconstitutional, Harmon ended the debate with, “We’ll see you in court.”
Harmon said there were several changes made since senators held a subject matter hearing on the bill on Monday morning, including asking the Illinois State Police by administrative rule to provide further guidance to make sure hunters are not impeded. Private security contractors would also be offered exemptions regarding their firearms and magazines.
Language on high-capacity magazines was also changed, with 10 rounds allowed for long guns and 15 for handguns. The list of assault weapons was also updated.
Other changes including allowing the Illinois State Police to add guns to the list of banned assault weapons over time.
The passage came a day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch criticized earlier Senate revisions. But on Monday, Pritzker and Welch joined Harmon in a joint statement in support of the measure.
“After continued negotiations between the leaders, stakeholders and advocates, we have reached a deal on one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the country,” the statement said. “Gun violence is an epidemic that is plaguing every corner of this state and the people of Illinois are demanding substantive action. With this legislation we are delivering on the promises Democrats have made and, together, we are making Illinois’ gun laws a model for the nation.”
During debate, Republican…
Read More: State Senate passes assault weapons ban, sending it back to House