Southern Illinois state lawmakers are hosting a town hall Tuesday to discuss new laws including the polarizing Protect Illinois Communities Act.
MARION, Ill. (WSIL) -- Southern Illinois state lawmakers are hosting a town hall Tuesday to discuss new laws including the polarizing Protect Illinois Communities Act.
The law bans the transaction, sale and manufacturing of assault style rifles in the state, places a cap on magazine capacity for long guns and hand guns and requires current owners to register their rifles to state police by January 1, 2024.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed the House Bill 5471 into law last week. About 11 local sheriffs in southern Illinois are opposing he new measure, including Jeff Diederich of Williamson County.
Sheriff Diederich wrote last week that he believes the law violates the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution. On Monday, Diederich stood his ground and says he won't enforce the law against law abiding citizens.
"The criminal element tends not to follow those rules even when they're enacted," Diederich said. "The effort might be valiant, at the end of the day it's targeting the wrong group of people."
State Reps. David Friees (R-Red Bud), Dave Severin (R-Benton), Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) and Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) and Sens. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) and Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) are expected to attend.
Severin wants to make clear that the town hall is not a gun rally and that organizers planned the event weeks before the gun legislation came to a vote.
Joining the six are members from the National Rifle Association and executive director Richard Pierson from the Illinois State Rifle Association.
Sheriff Diederich says Chicago-area lawmakers who spearheaded the bill acted in good faith and 'have different needs' but adds that they're misguided and disconnected from the rest of the state.
"To tell a community that's in rural southern Illlinois basically to send a message that law abiding citizens are going to be now held criminally responsible to register their guns," Diederich said.
"This isn't the community we live in."
Among other pieces of legislation they'll discuss include a bill that protects Illinois abortion providers and patients from out-of-state and the Paid Leave for All Workers (PLAW) Act.
They'll also discuss House Bill 4412, which limits counties' powers to regulate wind and solar farms. That bill is on Gov. Pritzker's desk.
The town hall is at the Marion Cultural & Civic Center. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the event beginning at 6 p.m. and going until 7:30 p.m.
