Illinois has become the ninth state in the United States to ban selling assault weaponsa move hailed by the administration of President Joe Biden, who has called on other states to pass similar bans.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden “praises the leadership” of the governor and Illinois lawmakers. The ban was passed by the state Senate on Monday, with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signing into law the following day.
Jean-Pierre said Biden has “continued to press for more action to keep our homes, schools and communities safe, including federal law requiring background checks on all including gun sales and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
In the meantime, the president continues to urge other states to join California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, Washington, DC and now Illinois to ban assault weapons. at the state level to save lives. “
The Biden administration’s efforts to tackle gun violence in the US have focused on selling military-style weapons, which are designed to fire quickly and often come with high-capacity magazines.
“The idea that we still allow the purchase of semi-automatic weapons is sickening. Just sick,” Biden said in November. “I’m going to try to get rid of the offensive weapon.”
Assault-style weapons have been used in a number of sensational mass shootings in recent years, including this past May. Elementary School Shooting in Uvalde, Texaswhere the gunman used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle.
The federal ban on assault-style firearms was enacted in 1994 under former President Bill Clinton, but the law lapsed in 2004. Since then, efforts to reform gun laws have been repeatedly blocked. stagnation in the US legislature.
However, last June, the Biden administration signed it into law The most important gun safety law in decades. It enhanced background checks, funded legislation to remove guns from people deemed a threat, and closed a loophole that allowed certain people accused of domestic violence to own guns.
Gun control advocates have widely praised the law, while noting that it does not achieve far-reaching reforms.
Under the new Illinois law, the sale of certain types of firearms that automatically load the next round after a shot, including semi-automatic rifles and pistols with removable magazines, are prohibited. The law lists dozens of popular gun brands made by US gun manufacturers.
In addition, rifles containing more than 10 rounds and pistols containing more than 15 rounds are also prohibited. The sale of fast-firing accessories and .50 caliber guns is also prohibited by law. Residents who already possess such weapons will be able to keep them but must register with the state police.
Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a statement after he signed the executive order: “No Illinois resident, regardless of their zip code, should go through a life of fear for their loved one. they could be the next on an ever-longer list of mass shooting victims. bill into law.
He mentioned the mass shooting at a 4th of July Holiday Parade in Highland Park, Illinois, last year, in which a man with a semi-automatic rifle killed seven people and wounded dozens more in a matter of minutes.
Gun groups have long asserted that assault weapons bans violate the “right to keep and bear arms” enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
🚨START: @GovPritzker quickly signed the Illinois Community Protection Act, which included a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, along with other gun safety reforms.
This is a big win for Illinois! #ILLeg #HaltTheAssaulthttps://t.co/Y2EV0UU0Ya
— Brady | Solidarity against gun violence (@bradybuzz) January 11, 2023
Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said the law affects nearly 2.5 million gun owners in the state and his team will sue to overturn the ban.
“Challenge accepted,” the association said in a statement.
Brady, a national group that advocates gun violence, said the ban would save lives, calling it a “huge victory for Illinois.”
The Gun Violence Archive, a gun violence tracker, reported 648 mass shooting in america in 2022, defined as shootings with four or more victims, excluding the shooter. The organization recorded 690 mass shootings in 2021 and 610 in 2020.
Last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that there had been 61 “active shootings” in the United States in 2021, up 52 percent from 2020 and the highest on record.
The department has defined an “active shooter” as someone who engages in murder or attempted murder in a public space in a seemingly random manner. About one-fifth of “active shootings” in 2021 are also mass murders.
