- Nov 26, 2011
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Illinois becomes latest US state to ban assault weapons
For Illinois, the ban came six months after a gunman wielding a semiautomatic rifle shot and killed seven people at a 4th of July parade in a Chicago suburb.
abcnews.go.com
Nine states as well as D.C. now prohibit the sale or possession of assault weapons. Illinois joins California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
Just hours after the legislation's passage in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the "Protect Illinois Communities Act" into law during a ceremony at the State Capitol in Springfield. Supporters, some of whom were gun violence survivors, erupted with applause and cheers as the governor presented the signed document.
The new law bans assault weapons, including some semiautomatic firearms, along with high-capacity magazines and rapid-firing devices.
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According to the Illinois State Rifle Association, the ban affects nearly 2.5 million legal firearm owners in the state.
"Challenge accepted," ISRA executive director Richard A Pearson said in a statement Tuesday, in response to the ban. "The Illinois State Rifle Association will see the State of Illinois in court."
If you are curious to know the specific weapons banned, go here: These are the guns and attachments affected by the assault weapon ban in Illinois
The law will allow gun owners to keep the guns they have now, but will require them to register them with the state.