South Cook News

Blackhawk Tactical Firearm Training is warning Illinois gun owners about a bill being considered in the General Assembly that would outlaw several different types of guns and accessories. 

HB5855 would make many types of commonly owned guns illegal. Blackhawk Tactical Firearm Training is located at 5037 W 111th St. in Alsip. 

"Below is the link to fill out a witness slip regarding Illinois House Bill HB5855 'The Assault Weapons Ban' that is currently moving towards a January vote," the group encouraged the public through Facebook to fill out the slip and share the post. "Fill out this witness slip as an OPPONENT to these tyrannical infringement policies. We will post the details of the bill in the comments below."  

State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) sponsored the bill which would amend some laws including the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act and would eliminate provisions that permit an individual under 21 years of age who is not an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces or the Illinois National Guard to obtain a Firearm Owner's Identification Card with parental consent. HB5855 would make the possession of several types of firearms and accessories illegal. 

The bill, according to its synopsis, “Makes it unlawful to manufacture, deliver, sell, or purchase or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, or purchased or cause to be possessed by another, an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge. Makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly possess an assault weapon, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge 300 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, except possession of weapons registered with the Illinois State Police in the time provided. Provides exemptions and penalties. Prohibits the manufacture, delivery, sale, purchase, or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.” 

The bill was referred for a hearing in the Rules Committee where it will likely see a debate in January. It has picked up over 20 Democratic co-sponsors since being filed.

Illinois ranked sixth among the states to have the most restrictive gun laws in the country yet still has some of the worst instances of gun violence, according to Everytown Research and Policy. Opponents say HB5855 would bring the most restrictive environment for lawful gun owners in the history of the country. In the past years, Illinois has placed various regulations on gun ownership governing.com reported.

Morgan was at the Highland Park shooting in July where seven were killed and over 48 individuals were wounded after a gunman opened fire. In that instance, the alleged gunman, Robert Crimo III, was issued a gun permit by the Illinois State Police despite having red flags on his record for mental illness and instances of violence, which many are calling a failure of the governor’s office. “Had the Pritzker administration done what they said they were going to do, which was to review and make sure laws already on the books were being implemented more effectively, the tragedy in Highland Park might never have occurred,” Sen. Donald DeWitte (R-St. Charles) said in a statement, The Pantagraph reported.

Dan Eldridge, of the gun dealers’ association Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, has also warned that HB5855 would criminalize ordinary Illinoisans. “I would say it’s somewhere between two and 10 million magazines, and it’s a massive impact,” Eldridge told The Center Square. “These are the standard magazines that come with a duty-sized pistol even, they’re the standard magazines that come with a rifle. These are not aftermarket extended capacity magazines.” Elridge further stated that “With an immediate effective date, mere possession of a – and I’m not going to use their words, I’m going to use accurate words – mere possession of a standard-capacity magazine is a crime. There’s no getting around that. So you’ve got Second Amendment issues. You’ve got Fourth Amendment issues. You’ve got Fourteenth Amendment issues. You can’t do this.”