Gun rights advocates question proposed assault weapons registration rules in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois State Police are facing pushback from gun rights advocates over proposed rules requiring owners of certain firearms to register them before the end of the year.
ISP is in the process of adopting new rules to implement part of the state's new assault weapons ban - officially named the Protect Illinois Communities Act.
That law, which lawmakers passed in January, prohibits any new sales or purchases of firearms defined as "assault weapons," large-capacity magazines and certain kinds of gun attachments. But it says people who already owned those items before the law took effect are allowed to keep them, as long as they register them with ISP before Jan. 1.
About 50 people turned out for a public hearing Thursday in Springfield to comment on proposed rules to implement the registration portion of the law. One of those was state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, an outspoken opponent of the assault weapons ban, who asked what the state intends to do with people who refuse to register their weapons.
"Hundreds of thousands of people will absolutely not comply," Halbrook said. "It is up to the governor and the legislature to truly decide if they're prepared to declare war on law-abiding gun owners or not. One thing will be certain. This we will defend: The right to bear arms shall not be infringed."
The law was passed during a special lame duck session of the General Assembly in January. It came in response to a mass shooting last year at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured and traumatized.
The man charged in that massacre is said to have used a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle equipped with three 30-round magazines.
But some of the people who spoke or submitted comments at the public hearing argued that the law, and the proposed rules, apply to a wide range of firearms and accessories, many of which are in common use by hunters and sportsmen. They also argued that language in the law, which ISP has noted is "very broad," makes it difficult to know what items are being regulated and what items are exempt.
Although officials at ISP have tried to address those technical questions and concerns with information on its website, those who conducted Thursday's public hearing were unable to provide immediate answers to many other questions.
"It was frustrating at times," Josh Witkowski, a lobbyist for the Illinois Federation of Outdoor Resources, said in an interview after the hearing. "You come hoping to get answers and instead get told 'put your questions in writing.'"
Witkowski said gun owners are looking for answers "sooner rather than later" given the fact that registration must occur by Jan. 1.