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State Week: Assault weapons ban pushback

State Week logo (capitol dome)
Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS

After Gov. JB Pritzker signed a prohibition on the sale of assault style guns and large capacity magazines, numerous sheriffs throughout Illinois announced their opposition. The sheriffs publicly stated they view the new law as unconstitutional and they don't plan to enforce it.

The law came about following last summer's parade shooting in Highland Park. The change will allow those who already own such guns to keep them, but they must register the firearms with Illinois State Police starting in 2024.

Our panel also recaps other action in the recently concluded lame duck legislative session and news regarding the next step in the corruption case that ended former Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan's tenure.

Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and WBEZ's Dave McKinney.

The former director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Dave McKinney, state politics reporter at WBEZ, spent 19 years as the Chicago Sun-Times Springfield bureau chief with additional stops at Reuters and the Daily Herald. His work also has been published in Crain’s Chicago Business, the New York Times and Chicago Magazine.