Windhorst petition opposes proposed IL gun legislation

As Democrats move ahead with their plan to ban assault weapons in Illinois, southern Illinois Republicans are trying to gather voices of opposition. 

The proposed HB 5855 or the "Protect Illinois Communities Act," would ban the future sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. 

It would also raise the minimum age to purchase or own a weapon, and require weapons defined by the state as assault weapons to be registered with the state. 

State Representatives Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) and Dave Severin (R-Benton) are collecting petition signatures for those opposed to recent gun legislation in Illinois. 

Windhorst says HB 5855 contains multiple troubling provisions that he believes are unworkable and unconstitutional.

”The latest iteration of gun and ammunition control legislation is problematic in many ways, including outlawing legal gun ownership for people under age 21, outlawing hunting for people under age 21 unless accompanied by an adult age 21 or older that holds a valid FOID card, and the implementation of a fee-based gun registration database that would turn current law-abiding citizens into felons for non-compliance,” Windhorst said. 

Windhorst has posted an online petition for Illinois residents to sign in opposition of the bill.

The Democratic ban is intended to reduce the number of mass shootings like the Highland Park episode. In 2022, there have been 634 shootings where 4 or more people were shot or killed, according to the website gunviolencearchive.org . 

According to FBI gun homicide data from 2019, 62% of gun murders involved a hand gun, and less than 4% involved rifles including assault weapons. Supporters of the proposed law concede Highland Park's ban on assault weapons did not prevent that mass shooting, but believe a state-wide ban could still stop similar shootings.