Illinois Dem Gov. Pritzker Signs Semiautomatic Weapons Ban

Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday banning the sale and distribution of semiautomatic weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches in his state.

"This will save lives" Pritzker said.

"I'm tired of living in a world where a mass shooting needs a title so you know which one we're referring to," he tweeted Tuesday night. "I just signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which immediately bans the sale and distribution of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches in IL."

The law was driven largely by the killing of seven people at a 4th of July parade last year in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

Illinois is the ninth state, in addition to Washington, D.C., to prohibit the sale or possession of semiautomatic weapons.

In his second inaugural address Monday, the Pritzker expressed abhorrence not only for the Highland Park mass shooting that also left 30 injured but also for the frequent gun violence in Chicago, notably the gunplay that killed two 16-year-olds and injured two others last month at Benito Juarez High School on Chicago's west side.

Critics warn the governor's signature will trigger court challenges which will ultimately overturn the law as a violation of the 2nd Amendment.

"A government willing to defy our Constitution is a government that is completely out of control. So you can sit here and dictate whatever you want today," said Rep. Blaine Wilhour, a Republican from Beecher City, 97 miles northeast of St. Louis. "But I can tell you that we will not comply and you're not going to do a darn thing about it because the law, the Constitution, and the founding principles are on our side."

The legislation would ban dozens of specific brands or types of rifles and handguns, .50-caliber guns, attachments, and rapid-firing devices. No rifle could accommodate more than 10 rounds, with a 15-round limit for handguns.

Those who currently own such guns would have to register them, including serial numbers, with the Illinois State Police. Merchants could sell or return current stock and Illinois-based manufacturers could sell their wares outside Illinois or to law enforcement.

Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch introduced his mother, Willie Mae Welch, who was with him on the House floor. Welch told how, as a teenager in 1985, his mother's sister was fatally shot while sitting in a car outside her church. Welch's aunt had three young girls. His parents, despite having three boys of their own, took them in. No assailant was ever apprehended.

"It's time that we protect Illinois communities," Welch said. "It's time that we protect Illinois families. Let's end families having to change overnight. Let's not lose any more brothers and sisters, children to gun violence."

Welch, a Democrat from the Chicago suburb of Hillside, took the lead on the measure from the original sponsor, Rep. Bob Morgan, a Democrat from suburban Deerfield who was participating in the Highland Park parade when the shooting began.

Eight states and the District of Columbia currently have bans on semiautomatic weapons, according to Tanya Schardt, working in favor of the legislation for the Brady Campaign. They differ in their definitions of semiautomatic weapons, but generally, they ban 10-round clips for both long guns and handguns. They've survived constitutional challenges in scores of courts, she said.

Five states — California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey and New York — require registration of guns purchased prior to the law, Schardt said. The other three states with bans are Delaware, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

Schardt said registration often angers current owners but that most tolerate the collection of information.

The legislation also provides protection. If police stop a car driven by the owner of a semiautomatic gun, for example, they can instantly check to ensure it's legally owned. And it allows law enforcement to trace a gun stolen and used in a crime.

The Senate changed Morgan's initial proposal, but compromised on changes the House could accept. For example, Morgan proposed raising the age to 21 for obtaining a Firearm Owners Identification card, but the current version allows those younger to get one with parental permission.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.