State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) said the recent sweeping gun control bill signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker will criminalize law-abiding Illinoisans and is unlikely to affect criminal behavior.
“Enforce the laws that already exist,” Rose said on the Senate floor. "We're going to make felons out of taxpayers. Why don't we go after the bad guys, put them behind bars, and actually keep them there? Put the bad guys behind bars. Not the taxpayers. Not the citizens. Put the bad guys behind bars.”
The bill received no votes from the state’s Republican senators, according to The State Journal-Register. In the House, the only Republican to vote for it was outgoing Minority Leader Jim Durkin.
When considering options on how to combat the bill, many have pointed to the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen decision levied by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. That case overturned a New York State law that required those seeking to conceal-carry firearms to show a demonstrable need to defend themselves. That case opened up more rights for gun owners nationwide and required New York to allow more rights for concealed carry holders. It invalidated laws in other states as well seeking additional documentation on why gun owners seek to exercise their second amendment rights.
The assault weapons ban immediately outlaws over 100 types of firearms currently legal in the state as well as extended clip magazines, Kankakee Times reported. In recent weeks, local county boards have said they will not enforce the gun ban that Pritzker signed into law. Illinois currently has around 70 sanctuary counties in which gun owners' rights have been underscored at the county level.
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