By Greg Bishop/Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – A measure that could have banned so-called bump stocks in Illinois failed.
Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, said his bill was in response to the Las Vegas mass shooting from earlier this month where the gunman reportedly had bump stock devices that accelerates the rate of fire for semi-automatic rifles.
State Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, said it’s time to act.
“We don’t represent gun dealers and manufacturers; we represent people,” Welch said. “The time to act is now.”
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, criticized the bill during debate, saying the measure would turn ordinary citizens into criminals.
“I think we have a case where people who have done a lot of reading about guns are trying to write laws to limit the people who are trying to exercise their Second Amendment rights for enjoyment, for sport,” Davidsmeyer said.
Other opponents said the bill is too broad and may have unintended consequences.
State Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, said trigger modifications happen in sports shooting all the time. They also happen with common revolvers.
“What you prefer, how you like to deal with recoil and such, it’s a very common modification,” Skillicorn said. “And [making trigger modifications illegal] would make our constituents felons.”
Other opponents said a provision requiring a Firearms Owner Identification card to purchase pre-packaged explosives actually expands the law to allow people to buy explosives.
State Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highwood, supported the measure.
“We can be scared of lobbyists and interest groups, or we could represent people in our state and people’s right to live and we could get behind this bill,” Drury said.
The measure failed, only getting 48 votes. It would have needed 71.
The bill received 10 ‘no’ votes from Democrats, and 16 lawmakers of both parties were not in the chamber to take the vote, meaning the legislation likely had little chance of passing to begin with.
