Chicago Suburb Empowers Police Chief to Confiscate ‘Assault Weapons,’ ‘High Capacity’ Magazines

The Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois, is giving residents 60 days to get rid of their “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazines and empowering the police chief to confiscate them from those who refuse to give them up.

Deerfield previously allowed ownership of such firearms and magazines but had strict storage requirements in place for them. Now, the firearms and magazines will be illegal to posses in one’s home, even if properly stored.

The Chicago Tribune reports the “new ordinance prohibits the possession, sale and manufacturing of certain types of assault weapons and large capacity magazines within the village.” Those in violation of the ordinance will face fines of $250 to $1,000 a day.

Deerfield’s original “assault weapons” ban, including storage requirements. was instituted in 2013. The new ban is being put in place because of instances wherein “assault weapons” have been used criminally in Parkland, Florida, Sutherland Springs, Texas, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando Florida. The ordinance warns that stock “assault weapons” are “customizable to become even more dangerous weapons of mass casualties and destruction.”

Section 15-91 of the ordinance states, “The Chief of Police or his or her designee shall have the power to confiscate any assault weapon of any person charged with a violation under this article. The Chief of Police shall cause to be destroyed each Assault Weapon or Large Capacity Magazine surrendered or confiscated pursuant to this Article.”

The ordinance does not state whether police will regularly knock on doors and enter homes to check in closets and under beds for “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazines.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, 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. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.