Illinois passes large-capacity, assault-style weapons ban

Jan. 6 (UPI) — The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill early Friday that would ban high-powered, assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines.

Known as the “Protect Illinois Communities Act,” the legislation would ban the sale, manufacture, delivery and purchase of assault weapons across the entire state.

Most individuals under age 21 would also be prohibited from buying any type of firearm in the state.

Following a brief debate, the bill passed with a 64-43 vote.

The law was created in the aftermath of a mass shooting north of Chicago during an Independence Day parade last year, which drew national attention.

The suspect in that case, Robert Crimo III, was arrested hours later. But scrutiny quickly fell on the man’s parents and their role in helping him obtain the assault-style rifle used in the attack.

Crimo III is awaiting trial in the case, which left seven people dead and dozens more injured.

Last month, the suspect’s father, Robert Crimo Jr. was arrested and charged with seven counts of felony reckless conduct.

The charges stem from Crimo Jr.’s role in helping his then-19-year-old son apply in 2019 for a firearm owners identification card in Illinois, which was issued in 2020 and used to acquire the assault-style rifle used in the parade shooting on July 4 in Highland Park, Ill.

Because of his age at the time, Crimo III needed his father’s participation in the process to obtain the FOID card in Illinois.

“Robert Crimo Jr., the father, took a reckless and unjustified risk to sign his son’s application for a firearm owner’s identification card,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at the time.

“I think there is a critical mass of not just public support, but in the legislature (too), that recognizes that we can do something about the massive flow of semi-automatic rifles and this influx of high-capacity magazines and rapid-fire devices,” state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Ill., who sponsored the bill, said Thursday ahead of it passing the legislature.

Morgan witnessed the July 4 attack first-hand, spurring him to draft the legislation.
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