MARION, Ill. – Several Republican lawmakers in Illinois hosted a legislative town hall at the Cultural and Civic Center in Marion on Tuesday night. One issue that seemed to bring a lot of people to the meeting was the new ban on assault weapons in Illinois.
State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton), State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis), State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona), and State Representative David Friess (R-Red Bud) shared information about the legislation and listened to constituent concerns.
“It’s just an infringement on our rights,” said Toney Rainey, a Williamson County resident. “I mean, it’s wrong.”
The measure prohibits the sale of assault weapons, assault weapon attachments and requires legal gun owners who currently own those types of weapons to register them.
“First of all, they don’t want their Second Amendment rights taken away,” Bryant said. “Secondly, they don’t want to be considered felons for owning pieces of property that they’ve owned sometimes for generations.”
Supporters of the legislation point to the number of mass shootings involving assault-style weapons and believe the legislation will save lives. Several sheriffs have said they will not enforce the ban because they do not believe it is constitutional. The ban is expected to face legal challenges.