Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation on Tuesday banning military-style assault weapons at the state level, just a month after a Chicago suburb suffered a mass shooting.
Less than a week into his second term, the Democratic governor signed the Illinois Protected Communities Act, which was passed by state lawmakers just hours earlier. The law, introduced during the state veto session last month, makes Illinois the ninth state to enact a ban on assault weapons, and it goes into effect immediately.
“No Illinoisan, regardless of zip code, should live in fear that a loved one could be the next on the ever-growing list of mass shooting victims,” Pritzker said in a statement. “However, for too long people have lived in fear of being shot dead at school, during worship, at celebrations or in their own yard.”
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via Associated Press
The new law prohibits the future manufacture, sale and purchase of semi-automatic firearms, high-capacity magazines and rapid-fire devices that convert firearms into machine guns. The law also has language that strengthens the state’s Firearm Prevention laws, which help keep guns away from people in crisis.
State residents who already own assault weapons will be allowed to keep them as long as they register the firearm with the Illinois State Police.
What is very important is that the law tackles the illegal arms trade in the country. While Illinois has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, the state’s gun-related crime statistics often stem from illegal firearms traffickers taking advantage of Illinois’ conservative neighboring states with relaxed gun safety policies. Chicago in particular is very close to the border of Wisconsin and Indiana – two states that make it easy to buy a gun.
“Across the country and here in Illinois, my generation is experiencing a crisis in gun violence,” said Mirabella Johnson, a volunteer with the Illinois gun safety advocacy organization, Students Need Action. “We are proud to live in a country that puts safety first, and we are excited to work with lawmakers as we continue to work to save lives.”
GoodKids MadCity (GKMC) Chicago, a black and brown-led youth nonprofit organization working to end violence in the community, respond to the assault weapons ban by emphasizing that lawmakers must ensure that the law also applies to the police. Researchers told The Trace, a newsroom that covers gun violence, that there is evidence that officers’ firearms increase the potential for escalation — and the resulting violence — in many of the situations they face. But trying to pass gun control legislation that includes police officers will face a losing battle with pro-police Republicans and Democrats.
The GKMC also said gun manufacturers should fund violence prevention programs, as well as mental health care for gun violence victims who suffer psychological trauma.
The assault weapons ban comes after the Chicago suburb of Highland Park experienced a deadly shooting during the Fourth of July parade last year. The rooftop gunman used a legally purchased AR-15-style firearm to fire more than 70 rounds into the crowd, killing seven people and injuring dozens. The suspect has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
Pritzker honored the victims of the shooting by reading their names as he signed the bill on Tuesday. The bill’s lead sponsor, state Rep. Bob Morgan, a Democrat, is a survivor of the massacre.
The White House issued a statement on Wednesday praising Pritzker, Morgan, elected officials, survivors and advocacy leaders “whose tireless efforts turned the pain of Highland Park and other acts of gun violence into meaningful action for all Illinoisans.”