Illinois Democrats want to act with 'urgency' on proposal banning assault weapons

Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban the sale and ownership of assault-style weapons —joining states such as California and New York that have enacted similar bans.

First introduced during the final week of the veto session by House firearm safety and reform working group chairman Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, House Bill 5855 would outlaw the manufacture, possession, delivery, selling, and purchasing of assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles, and .50 caliber cartridges. The proposal comes as firearm homicides increased by 35% from 2019 to 2020 nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Monday, the bill will be heard during a House judiciary criminal committee meeting. Hundreds of supporters and opponents have signed up for the meeting scheduled for 11 a.m. in Chicago.

Morgan's legislation lists more than 100 weapons that would be banned, including the AR-15 rifle which was used to kill seven people and injure 48 others during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. The bill also increases the age for most Illinoisans to carry a firearm from 18 to 21.

“Gun violence is destroying families and communities from East St. Louis to Highland Park to Chicago, and this moment demands urgency,” said Morgan, who was walking in the Highland Park Parade when the shooting began. “It is time that we had the political courage to admit that guns are a problem and that we can do something about it. This gun reform package will reduce gun deaths in Illinois, and it is long past time for us to step up and reform the laws which have enabled this gun violence to continue.”

The Protect Illinois Communities Act has more than 25 co-sponsors as of Friday and is expected to be a priority for the Illinois General Assembly when lawmakers return in January for the lame-duck session or early in the regular session.

Gov. JB Pritzker already has indicated support for the ban both during his gubernatorial campaign and at a recent news conference.

“Whether it happens during the lame-duck session, which I know is the expectation, or it happens during regular session … it’s important that we do it as fast as possible, there’s no doubt,” Pritzker said last week. “But I just want to be clear that our aim is to get it done in the first half of the year.” He originally called for action following the Highland Park shooting.

Past gun action by the Illinois General Assembly

Passage of HB 5855 would only require a simple majority in both chambers, allowing some more moderate Democrats to either cast a "no" or "present" vote.

Several Senate Democrats did not cast a vote in April on House Bill 4383, which banned the sale of unmarked private firearms also known as "ghost guns." Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield., was among them.

Related:Illinois bans 'ghost guns,' making guns without serial numbers illegal to sell, possess

Illinois is one of four states to require a state-issued Firearm Owner Identification Card -- known as a FOID card -- to own a firearm, which it has done for decades. Republican lawmakers in recent years, including former gubernatorial candidate and Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, have filed legislation that would end the FOID program.

Bailey's bill from 2021 never made it out of committee, but some have advocated for change within the program. Following the Highland Park shooting, it was revealed that 21-year-old suspect Robert Crimo III had a FOID card despite threatening to "kill everyone" at a family incident two years prior.

Law enforcement said this was possible since his family did not raise concerns once the then 19-year-old Crimo applied for a FOID card. His father sponsored his application.

Is it constitutional?

Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 in a 217-213 vote. It has yet to receive any voting action in the U.S. Senate but has been targeted by national gun rights organizations for its constitutionality.

In Illinois, the Illinois State Rifle Association — a nearly 120-year-old organization that advocates for gun rights — has already declared that it will seek legal action if HB 5855 becomes law.

More General Assembly:Beyond the SAFE-T Act: These bills passed during the Illinois General Assembly veto session

"So, are you angry? Good, so are we," ISRA said on its website, deriding Pritzker as the "most anti-gun Governor this state has ever seen. As law-abiding citizens, the time is now to take a stand for our constitutionally protected rights. It is time to use our 1st amendment rights to protect our 2nd amendment rights."

Other groups such as the Gun Violence Prevention PAC have come out in favor of the bill, saying the more than 50 mass shootings in the state in 2022 alone requires the General Assembly to act swiftly.

“It is our duty to protect those most affected by this man-made epidemic,” said Kathleen Sances, G-PAC president and chief executive officer. “Too many lives are on the line, and we simply cannot wait for these overdue policies to be passed and signed into law this summer — a time of year we know gun violence tends to spike in Illinois."

Recent polling from Global Strategy Group also indicates support among registered Illinois voters for several provisions of the bill. An estimated 58% of those surveyed said they would support an assault-style weapons ban in the state, while 66% said they wanted the minimum age to obtain a FOID card raised from 18 to 21.

Contact Patrick Keck: pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois House committee to hear testimony on assault weapons ban