The Illinois House, along party lines, passed the assault weapons ban early Friday morning. The final vote was 64-43.
State Representative Blaine Wilhour spoke out against the proposal on the house floor.
“All the gun control laws in the world will not fix the cultural and economic issues that drive the violence. So before we go and trample the Constitution, maybe we should deal with the core issues that are driving the violence. Let’s do something different. Let’s do something better around here for a change.”
Wilhour argued instead of using ‘buzz words’ like equality, the legislature should help to restore opportunity to many communities that have never known hope. He blamed many of the problems on past legislative action.
Senate Bill 2226 will ban the purchase of assault weapons in the state of Illinois along with prohibiting the manufacture of such items. It also bans large capacity magazines and raises the age to be eligible for a FOID card.
The bill now heads back to the State Senate for action.
