The Illinois Senate Thursday scrapped plans to vote this week on a controversial ban on certain types of guns
With votes along party lines, a Senate committee on Wednesday advanced two bills that would have banned certain types of "assault" guns as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines. The full Senate was expected to vote on the measures Thursday.
 
 
A National Rifle Association lobbyist had told lawmakers the bill would restrict about 75 percent of handguns and 50 percent of long guns in circulation today. The NRA called the proposal an assault-weapons ban "on steroids."
 
It would have banned specific semiautomatic guns and also any semiautomatic shotgun that has a revolving cylinder, a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip or thumbhole stock, or a shroud that encircles the barrel to prevent burning the shooter's non-trigger hand.
 
 The measure also would ban any semiautomatic pistol that can accept a detachable magazine and has one of five other characteristics, such as a weight exceeding 50 ounces when unloaded.
 
In addition, it would ban semiautomatic rifles with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 bullets.
 
 
 
Also on the list: semiautomatic rifles that accept detachable magazines and have one of three other characteristics, such as a pistol grip or thumbhole stock.
 
 
 
People who already own such guns would have been allowed to keep them, but the owners would have been required to register them with Illinois State Police at a cost of $10 or $15 per gun.
 
 
State Representative Bill Mitchell says that while Chicago has the more extensive gun control laws in the country and still can’t keep from setting record high murder rates, now they are pushing for more gun control for the rest of the state.

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