Pritzker pushes for assault weapons ban, federal action
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – In the wake of a July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured, Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for a ban at both the state and national levels on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
The governor made those calls on national cable television and at the White House in recent days.
“While I support an assault weapon and high-capacity magazine ban at the state level, we urgently need federal regulation on the weapons of war and high-capacity magazines that are used only for mass murder,” Pritzker said in a statement released last week. “Illinois is not an island, and even with some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, our state is only as safe as the state with the weakest laws — many of which border Illinois.”
The weapon used in the Highland Park shooting has been identified as a Smith and Wesson M&P 15, a semi-automatic rifle that holds 30-round magazines of 5.56mm ammunition. The alleged shooter, Robert Crimo III, reportedly used three such magazines during his attack on a Fourth of July parade, firing off more than 80 shots in a matter of just a few minutes.
Although the letters “M&P” stand for “Military & Police,” it and others like it have been widely available to civilians at sporting goods stores throughout the country.
The weapon used in Highland Park is also similar to guns used in other recent mass shootings, including the May 24 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead, and the May 14 shooting at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store that killed 10 people.
All those weapons are modeled after the Colt AR-15, a semi-automatic version of a rifle originally designed for the military.
On Monday, Pritzker and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering were at the White House for an event with President Joe Biden marking the recent signing of the Safer Communities Act, the first significant federal law addressing gun violence in nearly 30 years.
“We had a number of conversations immediately after the attack in Highland Park and I’ve been impressed with the way they’ve handled things. It’s been extraordinary,” Biden said. “And as the three of us have discussed, we have more to do.”
Later in the day, Pritzker appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and he repeated his call for additional measures to control gun violence.
“I think that there are probably three things that need to be looked at here: One is changing some of the verbiage in the law on red flags so that something could have been filed that would have prevented the FOID card from being issued. That’s one,” he said. “Two is that we need to ban assault weapons, not just in the state of Illinois, but nationally. And then third, high-capacity magazines.”
A bill pending in the General Assembly would make it a felony to buy or sell assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines. House Bill 5522, by Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, would also require existing owners of such weapons to register them with the Illinois State Police, and it would prohibit those owners from selling them in-state to anyone but a federally licensed firearms dealer.
Hirschauer, a first-term lawmaker and organizer of a local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, introduced the bill in January, but it was never considered in a substantive committee. Since the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, however, 50 more lawmakers, all Democrats, have signed on as cosponsors.
“I think that my colleagues have been moved by the tragedy in Highland Park, but also moved by the gun violence that affects the entire state, and constituents all over Illinois have been reaching out to their state representatives and state senators, telling them how important this bill is,” Hirschauer said during a phone interview.
Gun rights advocates, on the other hand, argue that eliminating one type of gun from society will not address the underlying causes of gun violence.
“We certainly understand the emotional response of anti-gun politicians in light of the evil and violence the world witnessed in Highland Park … just like the equivalent of 47 Highland Park shootings that have taken place in the city of Chicago year to date,” Richard Pearson, director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said in an email. “Evil and violence do not lie in an inanimate object but in the hearts of people. At some point politicians must tackle the “Why” of violence instead of the easy way out by trying to ban inanimate objects.”
Lawmakers had planned to convene a special session this summer, primarily to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down a constitutional right to abortion. Before the Highland Park shooting, however, those plans were put on hold and no special session has yet been scheduled.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey also called for a special session last week to repeal a criminal justice reform bill passed in January 2021 and convene a mental health task force consisting of “doctors, first responders, patients, home caregivers, parents, teachers, and churches.”
The Pritzker campaign, in turn, blasted Bailey for voting against gun safety bills and state budgets that increased mental health funding.
The next scheduled meeting of the General Assembly is Nov. 15 when the regular fall veto session convenes.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
A crazy fun day
Spread the love Dahlia Walkosz and Olivia Lopez, fifth graders at St. Daniel the Prophet School, were among many having fun during Crazy Hat Day–part of St. Dan’s efforts to promote good spirit during this year’s Catholic Schools Week. Parents looking for a school for their children for the 2022-23 school year are invited to…
Naz teacher earns Golden Apple nomination
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A teacher at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park has been named a Golden Apple Award Finalist for Excellence in Teaching. Amelia García is one of just 30 finalists for the prestigious award. Hundreds of high school teachers across the state were nominated. Winners will be announced this spring—surprised individually…
Analysis: Palos Park still looking for perfect commish candidate
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva There are a couple of ways people can perceive Palos Park’s Village Council going without a fifth commissioner for months. On the surface, it would appear to outsiders that the council is sitting on its hands. Or, it can look like the council has not found the right person yet.…
Pandemic relief funds available for business, Gonzalez says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-21st) is calling attention to a new round of Back to Business grants available to local businesses dealing with financial hardship related to the pandemic. “For years now, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for small business owners throughout Illinois, but they have largely…
Acting no more, Jennings named Bridgeview Fire Chief
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch After a year on the job, John Jennings can remove “acting” from his title. Jennings, 53, was officially named fire chief by the Bridgeview Village Board at its Feb. 16 meeting. The vote was unanimous. “I’m very proud to be the chief,” Jennings, 53, said. “I work with a bunch…
Cardz for Kidz at Shepard High School
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Yoga enhances connections among the mind, body and spirit. Shepard High School’s yoga students infused these spiritual teachings with their daily lives and passed along messages of peace, love and care to others. These students, ranging from sophomores to seniors, at the high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights,…
10th La Grange Restaurant Week kicks off Friday
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch For the 10th straight year, folks are invited to visit old favorites and try unfamiliar places during the La Grange Restaurant Week. “It’s a healthy way of building the community, getting people to try new things,” said Zach Molokie, culinary director for Cloud 9 Hospitality, which owns Barrel House Social.…
Orland Park park projects meet with some public resistance
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva With the exception of a few engineering decisions that have to be finalized, some of Orland Parks parks are ready for some major face-lifts. But not everyone is happy with the proposed plans. The two parks receiving the most attention in the coming years will be Schussler Park and Centennial…
L-W Central tops Sandburg in regional title game
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Sandburg won 20 games for the first time in in six years, and entered the postseason seeking to add to its list of accomplishments by winning a regional championship on its home court. But Lincoln-Way Central made more plays in key situations and fought to a 55-47 double-overtime victory…
Neighbors
Memorial service honors longtime Independence art teacher
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Palos School District 128 honored the life of one of its beloved educators with a Memorial Service. The service at Independence Jr. High School, 6610 W. Highland Dr., Palos Heights, May 24 honored the legacy of longtime art teacher, Mike Maholland, of Hickory Hills, who passed away on February 18.…
Oak Lawn Chamber to sponsor Restaurant Week
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong More than a dozen restaurants have signed up to take part in the Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Restaurant Week in June. “This is a new endeavor for us,” said Anne Fritz, chamber executive director. “This will be our unofficial kick off to summer.” Fritz said the chamber’s marketing…
One-in-a-million blue-eyed cicada found in Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Kelly Simkins is an aspiring musician and someday she just might hit the stage and perform a Frank Sinatra song. Meanwhile, the Crestwood resident is partnering with another “Ol Blue Eyes” for a little fame. So, start spreading the news… Simkins, who owns Merlin’s Rockin’ Pet Show, was in Orland…
Summit looks to replace aging pedestrian bridge
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Generations of Summit residents have used the 74th Avenue pedestrian bridge and village officials are now getting ready to replace the aging structure. Village Engineer Tim Klass from Novotny Engineering recently discussed replacing the bridge with a crowd of about 75 people at a community meeting on May 15 at…
Flagg Creek golfers will pay more for greens fees
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch It will cost more to play at Flagg Creek Golf Course in Countryside this summer. The Pleasant Dale Park District, by a 4-1 vote, recently approved a rate increase that had been unanimously approved by the Countryside City Council in April. The park district and city are co-owners of Flagg…
McCook fire hydrants to be sandblasted and painted
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Decades of paint – some three-quarters of an inch thick – will be sandblasted off most of the fire hydrants in McCook this summer. “For 30, 40 years we’ve been painting over them. They’ve never been sandblasted. It’s well overdue,” Mayor Terrance Carr said during the most recent board meeting.…
Woman sentenced in 2003 murders of newborn twins
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A 44-year-old woman, charged in the 2003 deaths of her newborn twins following an extensive cold case investigation by Cook County Sheriff’s Police, has been convicted of murder. On May 8, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced that Antoinette Briley pled guilty to murder at the Bridgeview Courthouse and…
McCook approves ‘preventive’ rodent control program
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The McCook Village Board earlier this month approved what Mayor Terrance Carr calls “preventive maintenance.” The board on May 6 unanimously approved paying Rose Pest Solutions $12,000 for a 10-week rodent control program throughout the village. It’s not that the McCook now has a rat problem, Carr said. It’s that…
Summit, property owners discuss apartment inspections
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Nearly 75 people attended a community meeting last Wednesday evening in the multi-purpose room of Graves School to learn about changes coming to the village. Three topics highlighted the meeting. Rental property inspections, lead line replacement, and replacing the 74th Avenue pedestrian bridge. Mayor Sergio Rodriguez tackled the controversial rental…
Tollway to hand out free transponder stickers in Justice
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Earlier this year, the Illinois Tollway began phasing out the plastic I-Pass transponder and introduced a sticker tag that goes on your vehicle’s windshield. If you’re still using a transponder, or want to get a new sticker, the Village of Justice is the place to be on Saturday, June 8.…