In a mere two hours early Friday, the Illinois House approved multiple sweeping pieces of legislation - an assault weapons ban and additional protections for abortion rights, sending both to the Senate.
The 64 to 43 vote on the 77-page assault weapons measure, known as the "Protect Illinois Communities Act," occurred around midnight, with Republican state Rep. Jim Durkin voting in favor of the bill.
The bill's chief sponsor, Highland Park representative Bob Morgan -- who was an eyewitness to the tragic shooting at the Fourth of July parade in suburban Highland Park earlier this year -- said it "filled his heart" to see supporters gathered in the lobby of the State Capitol.
Prior to the vote, a report from the Chicago Sun-Times noted that a handful of changes were made to the bill -- originally known in its first draft as HB5855 -- including allowing the legal age of gun ownership to remain at 18, and adjusting the high-capacity magazine ban to kick in at 12 rounds instead of 10.
Assault Weapons Ban
The legislation would make it illegal to deliver, sell or purchase any assault weapon in the state of Illinois. It would also make it illegal to possess such a weapon 300 days after the final passage of the bill.
A full list of weapons classified as “assault weapons” can be found within the text of the bill.
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The bill also makes it illegal to own, purchase or possess .50 caliber rifles and cartridges, but there is language in the bill that allows owners who currently have such weapons to keep them.
Individuals who already own weapons that fall under the “assault weapons” are required to note the serial number with their pre-owned weapons with the gun owner's Firearm Owner's Identification Card (FOID) card. This process must take place with the Illinois State Police within 300 days after final passage of the bill.
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Residents also many not purchase or possess magazines that can hold more than 12 rounds, and the bill also bans the sale or purchase of “switches,” which can increase a weapon’s rate of fire.
Those switches are technically already banned under federal law.
According to House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, the legislation would not remove guns from people who already own them.
"If this bill were to become law, I want to be clear about something. Because we're going to probably hear a lot about that in debate later. If this bill were to become law, there will be no removal of these weapons from people who already own them. It's important to highlight that we are not taking any guns away from lawful gun owners."
You can find the full text of the amended bill here.
Legislators in the Senate are expected to debate the measure Friday, with the hope that a vote will take place before the 103rd General Assembly is sworn in next week.
"These are critically important issues, and the Senate Democratic Caucus is committed to enacting the most effective legislation possible," said John Patterson, spokesman for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon. "Senators are giving these proposals an extensive review and careful evaluation. Following today’s session, the Senate will be returning to session on Sunday.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he'll sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
If the bill does pass, the Illinois State Rifle Association is vowing to sue the state, claiming the measure is unconstitutional and violates their Second Amendment rights.
“The anti-gun people have seized upon this opportunity,” said ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. “In the long run they would like to get rid of the Second Amendment all together.”
Abortion Protections
The other notable measure passed Friday bolsters the state’s already-expansive reproductive rights and shield the influx of out-of-state patients seeking abortions after the fall of Roe v. Wade.
The proposal “tries to put additional bricks in the wall around Illinois so that we aren’t subject to attacks in our state from outside forces,” said Ameri Klafeta, director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
The bill would prevent the governor from surrendering a person charged by another state if the offenses are based on providing or receiving health care that is lawful in Illinois, even if it is illegal in the other state.
It also would offer protection for providers of gender-affirming health care such as hormonal treatment, and would allow advanced-practice registered nurses and physician assistants to perform abortion procedures that don’t require general anesthesia.
The Senate must approve the measure before it would be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat. Pritzker said the bill, sponsored by Chicago Democratic Rep. Kelly Cassidy, provides “critical reproductive health protections” that he looks forward to signing into law “as soon as possible.”