Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday have approved a new law that will ban the sale, manufacture and ownership of assault weapons beginning in the state, a move applauded by gun control groups and vehemently opposed by conservative groups.
The new law, which will be signed into law by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, bans the sale, manufacture, transfer or ownership of both assault weapons and extended magazines, while including new limits on the minimum age required to purchase firearms.
Illinois joins a group of states with similar measures in place. According to the Giffords Law Center, an advocacy group that pushes for enhanced gun control legislation, a total of eight states, as well as the District of Columbia, have laws on the books that ban the sale, manufacture and transfer of at least some assault weapons.
Three more states, including Minnesota, Virginia and Washington have special restrictions and regulations on assault weapons, according to the GLC.
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Each of the states has its own definitions of which weapons are classified as “assault weapons,” and some have exceptions not shared by other states. For example, in Hawaii only assault pistols are banned by law.
In Delaware, assault weapons are banned, but weapons purchased prior to the enactment of the state’s ban do not need to be registered, and weapons can be transferred to family members.
Maryland and Massachusetts also do not have registration requirements, according to the GLC.
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California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York also have legislation on the books banning assault weapons.
Conservative groups and gun rights advocacy groups have already promised to bring legal action against Illinois’ ban, saying that it is an infringement of the second and fourth amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
