Illinois State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R) responded to Gov. JB Pritzker’s signing of a ban on commonly owned semiautomatic weapons by stating, “We will not comply.”
Breitbart News reported that Pritzker signed the ban Tuesday night. The ban allows current owners of banned firearms to keep them, but requires to register them with the Illinois State Police.
Pritzker’s office released a statement regarding the ban, which said, in part, “The new law also requires existing owners of semi-automatic rifles to register their ownership, ensuring that law enforcement knows the location of these weapons of war and who to hold accountable if they fall into the wrong hands.”
A TPM Arms LLC California-legal featureless AR-15 style rifle is displayed for sale at the company’s booth at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Orange County Fairgrounds on June 5, 2021 in Costa Mesa, California. – Gun sales increased in the US following Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. On June 4, a San Diego federal court judge overturned California’s three-decade old ban on assault weapons, defined as a semiautomatic rifle or pistol with a detachable magazine and certain features, but granted a 30-day stay for a State appeal and likely future court decisions on the constitutionality of the ban under the Second Amendment. An industry of California legal “featureless” or “compliant” AR-15 style rifles developed for California consumers, adapting to the law with design changes to the popular rifle. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
CBS News noted that State Rep. Wilhour responded to the ban by saying, “We will not comply, and you’re not going to do a darn thing about it, because the law, the Constitution, and the founding principles are on our side.”
Outgoing State Sen. Darren Bailey (R) also voiced opposition, saying, “I’ll die on my front porch before anyone takes my guns away. My message to Springfield: If you want my guns, come get them.”
The ban signed by Pritzker took effect immediately and also bans “high capacity” magazines.
Editor’s note: The night on which the governor signed the legislation, originally stated as Wednesday, has been corrected to Tuesday.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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