Champaign County Sheriff’s Lt. Curt Apperson with some of the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles the sheriff’s office has confiscated. (Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette).
Weigh in with a Letter to the Editor
Six months and six days after a 21-year-old armed with a Smith & Wesson semiautomatic rifle fired 83 shots at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, killing seven, Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week signed into law a ban on “weapons of war” and high-capacity magazines.
That has led to a whole lot of questions — about the Second Amendment, the impact of bans elsewhere, even the term “assault weapon.”
We turned to those in the know for answers.
Dustin Heuerman
— DUSTIN HEUERMAN, Champaign County sheriff: “This is a very touchy subject that gets people fired up in different ways. Personally, I own firearms, as do most of my friends and family. My personal belief is that the majority of legal gun owners aren’t using those firearms maliciously. As sheriff, I don’t believe it is my place to rule on the constitutionality of any law.
“That is why we have a legal system. If I did, I think it would set a dangerous precedent for not following a law, any law, simply because I disagree with it. While some may think the constitutionality of this particular law is clear, I want a judge to decide that, just as judges have in numerous other cases related to the firearms and the Second Amendment. This is not the first time this debate has happened nor will it be the last.
“With that being said, my deputies won’t be going door to door searching for violations of this law. My deputies have a great deal of discretion in applying laws based on a totality of circumstances of a situation, and I don’t see this as being any different.
“Many of the individuals we encounter with illegally possessed firearms are prohibited from possessing them because of their criminal history. I believe we will continue to see this even after passage of the law because they obtained those firearms through illegal means in the first place.
“As sheriff, my goal continues to be to get guns out of the hands of people who want to use them maliciously so we can increase the safety of all of us who live here.”
Shannon Watts
— SHANNON WATTS, founder of Moms Demand Action: “The Protect Illinois Communities Act was a huge step forward for the gun violence prevention movement in Illinois, and sets an example for the rest of the country. While the package includes huge strides forward for addressing gun violence, especially mass shootings, there are many additional measures Illinois lawmakers can take in addressing this epidemic.
“Something we hope to see the Legislature take up this year is legislation to ensure the firearm industry is held accountable for irresponsible conduct.
“Additionally, measures need to be taken to focus on addressing daily gun violence, which kills far more people than mass shootings, and disproportionately affects communities of color. Lawmakers should increase Illinois’ investment in community safety interventions programs.”
.@bradybuzz Chicago co-chair + gun violence survivor Delphine Cherry joined @GovPritzker as he signed a crucial bill into law that makes Illinois the 9th state to #BanAssaultWeapons.
We must continue the fight to #BanAssaultWeapons in all 50 states. Let’s keep up the momentum! pic.twitter.com/AkdY2YyjdQ
— Kris Brown | President, bradyunited.org (@KrisB_Brown) January 11, 2023
— KRIS BROWN, president of the Brady: United Against Gun Violence, named after University of Illinois graduate and former White House Press Secretary James Brady, who was shot by John Hinckley in 1981: “The assault weapons ban was a major step forward in protecting Illinois communities and helping prevent tragedies like Highland Park, but it is by no means the end of the road.
“Another strong initiative Illinois lawmakers should take is increasing gun industry accountability, including ensuring that victims of gun violence, as well as localities and the state, can pursue claims against gun industry members for their irresponsible, dangerous or negligent behaviors.
Kris Brown
“Illinois should look to the action taken in New York, California and Delaware, where they have passed laws that function to ensure that the federal shield for most civil liability does not preclude valid claims against the gun industry, for their own actions or inactions.
“The gun industry has played an integral role in this public-health crisis, and it is past time that they be held accountable.
”This could include allowing claims to be brought against irresponsible dealers and manufacturers that sell firearms that are regularly trafficked into communities most impacted by gun violence, as well as punishing sellers that engage in dangerous marketing tactics.
“This would not only ensure justice for victims and communities, but would also incentivize safer business practices, reduce irresponsible and dangerous sales, and prevent gun violence before it happens.”
David Chipman
— Former ATF agent DAVID CHIPMAN, whose 2021 nomination to lead that agency was withdrawn by the Biden Administration in the face of opposition from gun-rights groups: “After congratulating Governor Pritzker for his courageous action, I would challenge him to think of unique ways to shine a light on other states that provide safe harbor to gun traffickers.
“Illinois suffers much of its gun violence because governors in states like Indiana and Missouri prioritize the profits of gun manufacturers over the safety of fellow Americans.
“In 2020 alone, Indiana and Missouri were responsible for over 2,500 crime guns ending up on the streets in Illinois. Pritzker and other governors whose states suffer violence fueled from trafficked firearms should come together and shine a light on who profits from this entirely preventable American problem and which governors are happy to help.
“Twenty-five governors, including leaders from Indiana and Missouri, joined a border strike force to raise attention to threats they perceive emanate from the Southwest border. Pressure should be put on these same governors by Governor Pritzker to secure their own borders first and shut down the pipelines of guns that are arming criminals in states like Illinois.”
Jay Nixon
— JAY NIXON, governor of Missouri from 2009-17: “Missouri is a pro-gun state. Missouri is also a pro-law-enforcement state.
“To move forward, especially with these exceptionally lethal weapons, both of those parties must be engaged and at the table. The action must also be local to motivate officials to change these policies legislatively.”
Jeff Modisett
— JEFF MODISETT, attorney general of Indiana from 1996-2000: “In the short-term, no. Sadly, I think that only a tragedy in Indiana — not out-of-state — could possibly shift the momentum in the state legislature away from a ‘no-rules’ gun culture to a more reasonable legal regime that allows the purchase of handguns and rifles, but acknowledges that our founding fathers would not have permitted the easy sale of military assault weapons to the public.”
Joseph Blocher (John Klemmer/U.S. Senate Photographic Services)
— Duke Law Professor JOSEPH BLOCHER, one of the country’s foremost experts on the Second Amendment: “Statewide prohibitions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have been upheld by every federal court of appeals to have considered the question, including the Seventh Circuit, which covers Illinois. So there is a lot of strong precedent in favor of these laws constitutionality.
“But those cases all predate the Supreme Court’s major Second Amendment decision this past summer, which prescribed a new approach to Second Amendment cases. From now on, the government has to show that gun regulations are consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of weapons regulation, and cannot rely on the fact that such laws might be effective in preventing violence and death.
“What that historical-analogical approach will mean for weapons that themselves were not common when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 is really an open question.”
This week, Illinois joined states across the country in passing a historic gun violence prevention package. This would not have been possible without the work of grassroots organizers, survivors and their families, and lawmakers who channeled their anguish into bold action.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 12, 2023
Andrew Morral
— ANDREW MORRAL, director of the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit think tank: “The short answer from a social science perspective is we don’t know what the effects of assault-style weapons bans are, though there is now limited evidence that bans on high-capacity magazines might reduce firearm violence.
“The reason that there is not more conclusive evidence is not necessarily that such bans are ineffective. They might, in fact, increase or decrease homicides. Instead, it is that they are particularly hard to study, and as such there are not strong, rigorous studies on which to base effectiveness claims.
“Instead, advocates on both sides of the debate tend to rely most on common sense arguments, though my common sense might be your crazy talk.
“Those who advocate assault-weapon bans — and especially high-capacity-magazine bans — believe they are likely to reduce the rate of fire in mass-casualty shootings. Though all too common in our country, from a statistical analysis perspective, this is a fairly rare outcome, making it difficult to identify law effects even if they may be quite large.
”That’s just one of several obstacles to doing good quantitative analysis of the effects of these laws, but it is an important one.”
Daniel Webster
— DANIEL WEBSTER, co-director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions: “We published a study in 2020 in (the journal) ‘Criminology & Public Policy’ that examined the association between a broad range of state and federal firearm laws and fatal mass shootings with annual data from 1984 through 2017. We use regression analyses and control for measurable conditions, firearm policies and rates of fatal mass shootings.
“We found two policies that were associated with lower levels of fatal mass shootings — one, laws requiring a license or permit to purchase a handgun, some of which extended requirements to long guns, and two, state bans of large-capacity magazines.
“While the estimates for assault-weapon bans were in the direction of being protective against fatal mass shootings, they were not statistically significant. In other words, the uncertainty in the estimate was too great to conclude that assault-weapon bans were linked to reductions in fatal mass shootings.
“But there is a reason that individuals set on maximizing casualty counts in mass shootings very commonly choose an assault weapon versus other firearms.
“These firearms were made for combat and to make it easy to fire many rounds very quickly. The features also make the weapons easier to conceal than traditional hunting rifles and thus more conducive to criminal use.”
This story appeared in Sunday’s News-Gazette. Click here to subscribe.
Carol Ammons
— State Rep. CAROL AMMONS, D-Urbana, who voted for the Protect Illinois Communities Act: “This step, although not a panacea, will help curb the illegal trafficking of assault weapons in our state and provide law enforcement ample tools to redress this issue.
“The fact that banning military-style weapons from our communities has been an uphill battle, demonstrates the difficulties ahead. These weapons of mass destruction simply make it easier for bad actors to harm multiple people in less than a minute.
“I don’t believe that gun control by itself is going to end the horrors we saw in Highland Park; the city of Chicago; Newtown, Connecticut; Aurora, Colorado; Blacksburg, Virginia; Tucson, Arizona and other American communities but there is a growing consensus across America that we have got to do as much as we can to end the cold-blooded, mass murders of innocent people.”
As Highland Park mourns, Editor Jeff D’Alessio asked those who’ve survived and lost loved ones in mass shootings across the country, from Parkland to Orlando to Sandy Hook: What’s your message to lawmakers or fellow Americans who don’t believe gun-l… https://t.co/hOGWJCYK2M
— The News-Gazette (@news_gazette) July 10, 2022
Jacqueline Lacy (Tracy Crane/The News-Gazette)
— Vermilion County State’s Attorney JACQUELINE LACY: “In my 20 years of experience in the criminal justice system both as a public defender and now state’s attorney, criminals violate the laws and have no regard for the law-abiding citizens of our state.
“The Legislature has previously passed some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and yet we see criminals use guns every day to commit violence. We should enforce the laws that have already been passed rather than punish law-abiding citizens.”
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, shown here during an appearance on WDWS’ ‘A Penny For Your Thoughts.’ (Anthony Zilis/The News-Gazette).
— State Sen. CHAPIN ROSE, R-Mahomet, who voted against the bill: “Does anybody really believe that the ‘bad guys’ are going to register their guns? Seriously?
“I just read in the N-G about the first murder charge of the year in Champaign. The alleged 20-year-old shooter had a previous felony conviction for battery to police officer — and a prior arrest for vehicular burglary. Never mind that in Illinois, felons aren’t allowed to possess firearms; why wasn’t he still in prison instead of free to roam the streets shooting at people?
“By the way, gun trafficking is already illegal in Illinois. So too is the possession of ‘machine guns’ and aggravated discharge of a firearm. Quite literally, there are dozens of criminal offenses related to firearms already on the books in Illinois.
“So my simple question is, why aren’t we enforcing the laws that already exist — putting those who commit heinous offenses behind bars and keep them there?
“Instead, J.B. and company want to make felons out of law-abiding citizens. All the while, the real felons are still walking our streets ‘free’ to indiscriminately fire their already-illegally-possessed weapons.
“Again, does anybody really believe that the criminals are going to register their guns with the police prior to committing a crime? If you’re that gullible, I’ve got some ocean front property in Arizona for sale.”
This law will save lives. I thank @GovPritzker and the lawmakers who passed it for their leadership, and hope more states will follow Illinois’ example. https://t.co/NxUU7BU6iv
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) January 11, 2023
