Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) | www2.illinois.gov
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) | www2.illinois.gov
The Pritzker Administration believes the dozens of sheriff's offices across Illinois that have promised to refuse to enforce the state's new law banning semiautomatic weapons and other firearms is "political grandstanding."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) signed the bill, which took effect right away, on January 10.
"The assault weapons ban is the law of Illinois," Pritzker’s office told Fox News Digital. "The General Assembly passed the bill and the Governor signed it into law to protect children in schools, worshippers at church, and families at parades from the fear of sudden mass murder."
As of Monday, January 16, more than six dozen sheriffs spoke out against the law and promised to defy it in the counties they serve, according to Fox News.
The law known as the "Protect Illinois Communities Act" included language that banned the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles and pistols, .50-caliber guns, and attachments used to boost a weapon's fire rate, Fox News reported.
According to Fox News, The Illinois Sheriff's Association has publicly voiced its opposition to the law. In a statement, the association said it welcomes new tools that would help reduce the spike in violent crime in the state, but "this law does not do that."
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