Illinois: Bill Introduced to Ban Many Firearms & Accessories

Legislation has been introduced in the Illinois state Senate for a comprehensive ban on many types of firearms and accessories.  Senate Bill 107 is currently in the Senate Assignments Committee awaiting a referral to a committee that will consider it.  Please contact your state Senator and urge them to OPPOSE SB 107.  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact your state Senator.

Senate Bill 107, sponsored by Senator Julie Morrison (D-29), would brand many modern semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic handguns, and shotguns commonly owned by law-abiding citizens as “assault weapons” and ban them along with spare parts and accessories.

Some examples to be banned include:

• Any semi-automatic rifle or handgun that can accept a detachable magazine greater than ten rounds in capacity and has one or more features, such as a protruding grip for the support hand; a folding, telescoping, or thumbhole stock; a handguard; or a muzzle brake or compensator.

• Any semi-automatic shotgun that has one or more feature such as the ability to accept a detachable magazine; a folding, telescoping, or thumbhole stock; or a protruding grip for the support hand.

• Any fixed magazine semi-automatic rifles or handguns greater than ten rounds in capacity and fixed magazine semi-automatic shotguns greater than five rounds in capacity.

• Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

• Any part or accessory that would configure a firearm as above.

• Any firearm listed here by name or their duplicates.

These firearms are commonly owned by law-abiding citizens for various purposes such as self-defense, competitive shooting, recreational shooting, and hunting.  The proscribed features simply allow shooters of many sizes and physical builds to safely control and operate firearms and do not fundamentally change the fact that semi-automatic firearms only fire one shot per action of the trigger.  For example, telescoping stocks adjust the length of firearms to fit shooters of different statures and muzzle brakes and compensators reduce felt recoil, something that benefits all shooters.  In addition to managing heat build-up, handguards also allow shooters to hold firearms in a way that does not negatively affect accuracy.

SB 107 would have limited exemptions, such as allowing those who lawfully own banned firearms prior to register and keep them.  This exemption would not extend to banned parts and accessories, so owners would not be able to keep spare parts and accessories to reconfigure their firearms for different uses.

Again, please click the “Take Action” button above to contact your state Senator and urge them to OPPOSE SB 107.