Speaker Welch: Assault Weapons Ruling Shows that Safety Isn’t Subject to the Veto of the Gun Lobby

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch released the following statement Friday after the Illinois Supreme Court upheld House Democrats’ law banning the sale of assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, and rapid-fire modifications:

“The Supreme Court’s ruling upholds the legislature’s commitment to value the lives of our children over guns. This ruling makes it clear that the safety of our cities, our suburbs, and our small towns is not subject to the veto of the gun lobby. Such statements should not be profound or controversial, but in a time when the specter of gun violence looms over every aspect of our lives and preventable tragedies are seemingly a daily occurrence in communities small and large across the country, this ruling in favor of commonsense gun safety is monumental.

“I want to thank Representative Bob Morgan and Representative Maura Hirschauer, who championed this legislation, along with all the members of the Firearm Safety Working Group who dedicated so much time to meeting with stakeholders, studying efforts undertaken in other states, and utilizing that insight to create one of the nation’s strongest gun safety laws.

“We know there is more work to be done. We know no single law can make up for decades of Washington politicians allowing federal regulation to wither and neighboring states refusing even the most reasonable measures to address unregulated gun sales. Our commitment to value innocent lives calls on us to continue the work to get guns out of the wrong hands, to expand access to mental health treatment, and to invest in community-based approaches to violence prevention. I encourage our Republican colleagues to join in these efforts as partners, rather than litigants.”