CHICAGO - June 9, 2013. A month before the court-ordered deadline for a concealed carry law, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon is encouraging communities to consider assault weapon bans. Simon said House Bill 183, which legalizes concealed carry in Illinois, grandfathers in existing assault weapons bans, while prohibiting new bans going forward. The bill is on the governor`s desk.

"Last month the General Assembly for the first time voted to legalize the concealed carry of firearms in Illinois. As the governor prepares to act on the legislation sitting on his desk, it is important that our communities act now to retain the ability to regulate weapons that kill so many people so quickly.

"We have seen the tragic results assault weapons have had on our streets, in our schools, movie theaters and more. The clock is ticking, so I encourage mayors and local officials to act now to ban assault weapons and retain local control over this important issue."

Under HB 183, home rule communities that allow the possession of assault weapons have a limited amount of time to pass restrictions. If the bill is signed into law in its current form, communities will have just 10 days to ban assault weapons. After that grace period, the new law pre-empts home rule authority on assault weapon ordinances. 

Illinois` ban on concealed carry was declared unconstitutional in December by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has given the state until July 9 to pass a law that permits people to carry concealed guns in public spaces.

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