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The
new law, which Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed on Tuesday
evening, bans selling many kinds of weapons that automatically
load the next bullet after a shot, including semiautomatic
rifles and pistols with detachable magazines. The law lists
dozens of popular gun brands made by U.S. gun makers.
Rifles that hold more than 10 bullets and pistols that hold more
than 15 are also banned, as are rapid-fire attachments and
.50-caliber guns. People who already own such weapons will be
able to keep them but must register them with state police.
Eight other states and the District of Columbia have already
enacted similar bans. Gun-owners rights groups say the bans
violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment "right to keep
and bear arms" and that many law-abiding Americans have such
guns for self-defense, hunting and for sport.
"No Illinoisan, no matter their zip code, should have to go
through life fearing their loved one could be the next in an
ever-growing list of victims of mass shootings," Pritzker, a
Democrat, said in a statement.
In signing the bill, he invoked the attack on the July 4 parade
in Highland Park last year, in which a man with a semiautomatic
rifle killed seven people and wounded dozens of others over the
course of a few minutes.
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 group would sue to reverse the ban.
"Challenge accepted," his statement said.
Brady, a national group advocating against gun violence, said
the ban would save lives.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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