Lawmakers poised to outlaw assault-style weapons in Illinois
Illinois Democrats are also pushing to ban magazines that hold more than 10 bullets and other gun regulations.
As lawmakers meet to discuss gun control proposals in Springfield, the nation prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that killed 27 people, many of them children. The hearings in Springfield are in response to the mass shooting in Highland Park earlier this year.
A decade after Sandy Hook, U.S. lawmakers have failed to pass federal legislation to ban military-style assault style weapons, which – when paired with high-capacity magazines – allow shooters to spray bullets at a rapid pace.
Seven states in the U.S. have independently banned these weapons, but Illinois is not among them. This is despite research that shows bans on assault rifles would reduce mass shootings. In the U.S., 2022 is on track to be one of the deadliest years for gun deaths this decade according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Reset spoked to Sara Knizhnik, chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. We asked her what more state and federal legislators could do to reduce gun deaths in Illinois and across the country.
“Everyone needs to understand at all levels of government – and just everyday residents – that the Protecting Illinois Communities Act is just a small part of what we need,” Knizhnik told us.
[You can listen to the full interview by clicking the red audio player above.]
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Lawmakers poised to outlaw assault-style weapons in Illinois
Illinois Democrats are also pushing to ban magazines that hold more than 10 bullets and other gun regulations.
As lawmakers meet to discuss gun control proposals in Springfield, the nation prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that killed 27 people, many of them children. The hearings in Springfield are in response to the mass shooting in Highland Park earlier this year.
A decade after Sandy Hook, U.S. lawmakers have failed to pass federal legislation to ban military-style assault style weapons, which – when paired with high-capacity magazines – allow shooters to spray bullets at a rapid pace.
Seven states in the U.S. have independently banned these weapons, but Illinois is not among them. This is despite research that shows bans on assault rifles would reduce mass shootings. In the U.S., 2022 is on track to be one of the deadliest years for gun deaths this decade according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Reset spoked to Sara Knizhnik, chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. We asked her what more state and federal legislators could do to reduce gun deaths in Illinois and across the country.
“Everyone needs to understand at all levels of government – and just everyday residents – that the Protecting Illinois Communities Act is just a small part of what we need,” Knizhnik told us.
[You can listen to the full interview by clicking the red audio player above.]