Illinois Becomes Ninth State to Ban Assault Weapons

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a historic gun control bill into law on Tuesday, making the Prairie State the ninth in the country to outlaw the weapons behind an epidemic of mass shootings. The Protect Illinois Communities Act bans the sale of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and switches. “I’m tired of living in a world where a mass shooting needs a title so you know which one we're referring to,” Pritzker said in a statement. “We will keep fighting to ensure that future generations only hear about massacres like Highland Park, Sandy Hook, and Uvalde in their textbooks.” The bill passed the House with a 68-41 vote after a successful amendment that banned high-capacity magazines. The law also bans long guns capable of more than 10 rounds, and handguns with more than 15 rounds. Anyone who owns now-banned items will be grandfathered in, and will have to report their gun ownership by October. “[I]t won’t just save one life. It will be hundreds or potentially thousands of lives,” Pritzker said.