Illinois gun store owner says proposed ‘assault weapon' ban will turn citizens into criminals

© Provided by WQRF Rockford Illinois gun store owner says proposed ‘assault weapon' ban will turn citizens into criminals

(WTVO) - A gun shop owner says he will file a lawsuit if a proposed gun ban filed in the Illinois House becomes a law.

Dan Eldridge, president of the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois and owner of Maxon Shooter’s Supplies and Indoor Range in Naperville, said what is being proposed as an “assault weapons” ban would immediately turn potentially thousands of legal and responsible gun owners into criminals.

"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.

"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.”

The bill, filed as House Bill 5855, was filed by state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield. If it passes and is eventually signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, it would define “assault weapon” to include several types of semi-automatic pistols, shotguns and rifles. It would also consider a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds “large capacity.”

"It's time for Illinois to ban assault weapons," Morgan said on Twitter. "Since the [July 4, 2022 Highland Park] mass shooting, I've spent months meeting with victims, policy experts, community leaders and more. Thanks to their feedback and perspectives, I'm confident that this comprehensive approach gets at the root of the gun violence epidemic and will save lives."

The bill could be discussed as soon as January, when state lawmakers return to Springfield.

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