The horrific mass shooting at Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade last year demanded swift, resolute action — and the Illinois General Assembly delivered.
The passage of the Protect Illinois Communities Act makes the state safer by banning high-powered firearms, and magazines with more than 10 rounds for long guns and more than 15 rounds for handguns. People who own assault-style rifles before the ban took effect will have to register their weapons (via a serial number) beginning next year, or face a misdemeanor charge for a first offense, and a felony charge for subsequent violations.
A law, however, is only as good as a society’s commitment to enforcing that law. And across Illinois, law enforcement officials are abandoning that commitment.
