State Senator Jason Plummer told the monthly meeting of the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce last week that the new assault weapons law is about to create a lot of new felons.
Plummer says less than half of one percent of those who are required to register certain weapons and accessories have done so.
“When January 1st strikes and literally more than 99% of Illinois firearms owners who have said they don’t like the idea of the government registry of firearms, doesn’t sign up I think we are going to have some problems. And I think the legislature and Governor should call a special session to deal with this. It puts law enforcement, states attorneys and law abiding gun owners who have never done anything wrong, all in horrible predicaments.”
Plummer says there is an even bigger problem for those who bought assault weapons in the period of time a court had blocked implementation of the law last April and May.
“Now you are going to have thousands of people Illinois that just went to the local store and bought a firearm, accessory or whatever, the law makes no exceptions for those weapons even though they are no different than what tens of thousands of what other people own. Now the state has said either give up that weapon you legally bought or you are going to be a felon on January 1st…I think that’s a problem.”
Plummer feels the Governor and Attorney General trapped those making the purchases by not giving any guidance on what their policy would be when guns and other items were purchased during the period the injunction was in place.
