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- Published: Friday, March 09, 2018 08:58 AM
SPRINGFIELD – Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson joined gun safety advocates this morning at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing to support several proposals aimed at preventing gun violence and mass shootings.
The committee took subject-matter testimony on five proposals that would separately increase both the waiting period and the age to purchase an assault weapon, ban “bump stocks,” increase mental health screenings for individuals wishing to obtain a FOID card and ban large ammunition feeding devices and body armor in response to the shooting death of Commander Paul Bauer last month.
“As a city, we’re still heartbroken. We must remain committed to never forgetting Paul Bauer and being there as a support for his wife and daughter to recognize the enormous debt that we, as a society, can never repay,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in support of House Bill 1469. “One of the things we can and should do is take every step that we can to prevent this from happening again.”
House Bill 1469, sponsored by Senator Tony Munoz (D-Chicago), would prohibit large capacity ammunition feeding devices and the use of body armor. Munoz is also proposing House Bill 1465, which would ban the sale or transfer of an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50 caliber rifle or large capacity magazine to an individual under the age of 21. This legislation is in response to 13 people being shot by assault-style rifles last May in two of the neighborhoods Munoz represents.
”There’s no reason for anyone, especially under the age of 21, to be in possession of an assault rifle. Too often, these weapons are used to commit crimes and terrorize our communities,” Munoz said. “As we have seen in incidents nationwide, we are far beyond the time to take action on gun violence.”