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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PROPOSED RESOLUTION REGARDING AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN
WHEREAS, on November 14, 2006, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed the Blair Holt Assault Weapons Ban, Chapter 54, Division 4, Section 54-210, et seq. making it unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, offer or display for sale, give, lend, transfer ownership of, acquire, carry or possess any assault weapon or large capacity magazine in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, in 2006, the Cook County Board of Commissions placed an Advisory Referendum on the General Election Ballot on the question, “For the health and safety of children and the entire community, shall the State of Illinois enact a comprehensive ban on the manufacture, sale, delivery, and possession of military-style assault weapons and .50 caliber rifles.” That resolution passed by a vote of Cook County voters of 997,975 (86%) to 151,016 (14%); and
WHEREAS, in 2014, the Cook County Board of Commissioners placed an Advisory Referendum on the General Election Ballot on the question, “Shall the Illinois General Assembly enact the Illinois Public Safety Act (Senate Bill 3659) which would require universal background checks for firearm transfers and prohibit the sale and transfer of assault weapons, assault weapon attachments and high capacity ammunition magazines?” That resolution passed by a vote of Cook County voters of 1,092,729 (86.65%) to 168,298 (13.35%); and
WHEREAS, as residents gathered from across Chicagoland to celebrate our nation's birthday, they were victimized by another instance of our nation's gun violence epidemic. During a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a man with a troubled and violent past killed seven people and injured dozens more, whose ages ranged from 8 to 85 years old; and
WHEREAS, many Chicago residents continue to be victimized and traumatized by gun violence. Over that same Fourth of July weekend, 57 men, women, and children were shot in multiple incidents across the city including at least one mass shooting. Nine of those men and women died; and
WHEREAS, semi-automatic military style assault weapons and high capacity magazines are designed to increase a shooter’s ability to fire the maximum number of rounds in a shorter amount of time, thus increasing the likelihood of mass casualties or injuries; and
WHEREAS, a review of mass shootings by Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that when an assault weapon or large capacity magazine was used it resulted in 135 percent more victims and 57 percent more deaths, compared to other mass shooting; and
WHEREAS, assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines were outlawed for 10 years between 1994 and 2004 as a part of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban; and
WHEREAS, the number of people killed or injured in mass shootings involving assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines during the decade of the ban was nearly half what it was in the decade before. It was a third of the number of casualties counted between September 2004 and June 2016; and
WHEREAS, States with restrictions on magazine size experience less than half the rate of mass shootings than states without restrictions; and
WHEREAS, just this year mass shootings have penetrated all sectors of our society - white, black, Asian, and Hispanic. The shooting in Highland Park was the 309th mass shooting our nation has witnessed in less than 200 days. Cities throughout our state and nation are traumatized by violence involving assault weapons. These weapons pose a danger to our citizens and to the persons charged with protecting us. We cannot stand by as senseless gun violence continues to plague our state and our country; and
WHEREAS, in January of 2022, House Bill 5522 was introduced in the General Assembly. The bill would make it a felony to buy or sell assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, additionally requiring existing owners of such weapons to register them with the Illinois State Police and prohibiting those owners from selling them in-state to anyone but a federally licensed firearms dealer; and
WHEREAS, since the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, 50 more lawmakers have signed on to HB5522 as co-sponsors; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, THAT the Cook County Board of Commissioners, in the most forceful manner possible, calls on the Illinois General Assembly and the United States Congress to enact legislation prohibiting the sale and transfer of assault weapons, assault weapon attachments, and high capacity ammunition magazines.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT copies of this Resolution shall be sent to: the Speaker and Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, the President and Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and the President and Minority Leader of the United States Senate.
This Resolution shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.
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