Illinois Democrats in the state House are crying foul in response to state senate president Don Harmon’s (D) amendment removing a requirement that owners of “assault weapons” provide serial numbers to the government.
On December 12, 2022, Breitbart News reported that Illinois Democrats were pushing an “assault weapons” ban that included registration of such firearms that are currently owned in the state.
A grandfather clause was included to allow current owners to keep their guns as long as they registered them with the government. ABC 7 pointed out that Harmon filed an amendment Sunday to remove the requirement of registering the grandfathered firearms.
Harmon’s amendment came two days after the Illinois House passed the “assault weapons” ban with registration intact.
House Speaker Chris Welch (D) rejected Harmon’s push, saying, “I will not accept a watered-down version of legislation that falls unacceptably short of the comprehensive solutions that the people of this state deserve.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker also criticized Harmon’s amendment, saying, “The people of this state deserve a real assault weapons ban, one that has a real accounting of the weapons currently in circulation… and the current version in the Senate falls short.”
CBS News noted that the version of the “assault weapons” ban passed by the House gives Illinois residents 300 days in which to register their firearms.
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.