Illinois has a chance to join seven other states and Washington, D.C., in banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that are the weapon of choice for mass shooters like the one who killed seven people and wounded 48 others in Highland Park on July 4.
The Highland Park victims are among more than 3,200 Americans killed in over 600 mass shootings so far this year. Illinois communities have not been spared in recent years, with mass shootings taking place in cities that include Aurora, DeKalb, Zion, East St. Louis, Yorkville, Waukegan, Decatur, Wheeling, Rockford, Crest Hill, North Chicago, Romeoville, Elgin, Joliet and Peoria.
