ALERT: US Town Bans Semi-Auto Rifles, Violators to Be Fined Up to $1,000/Day
A city board in northwestern Illinois near Chicago has taken a significant step to increase gun control in their town.
On Monday night, members of The Deerfield Village Board of Deerfield, Illinois voted unanimously to ban what they view as “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines, CBS News reported. The ordinance also includes “semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns with certain features.”
“The possession, manufacture and sale of assault weapons in the Village of Deerfield is not reasonably necessary to protect an individual’s right of self-defense or the preservation or efficiency of a well-regulated militia,” the ordinance states.
As noted by CBS, the list of guns banned is “long and includes all the following models or duplicates thereof: AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, Misr, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR, AR-10, AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, Olympic Arms PCR, AR70, Calico Liberty, Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle, Dragunov SVU, Fabrique NationalFN/FAL, FN/LAR, FNC, Hi-Point Carbine, HK-91, Kel-Tec Sub Rifle, SAR-8, Sturm, Ruger Mini-14, and more.”
Gun owners have until June 13 to turn in their guns or remove them from the city limits. Residents who don’t comply with the ordinance will be fined up to $1,000 per day until their guns are removed.
Deerfield High School student Ariella Kharasch praised the ban and thanked the board for its decision.
“This is our fight. This is our generation’s fight, and we’re going to keep fighting,” she said.
Opponents of the ban argued it won’t help curb crime.
“There were a lot of emotional arguments and not a lot based on fact,” said Daniel Easterday, according to CBS Chicago. “Deerfield is a very crime free community, and I don’t see how this is going to make it any more crime free.”
Another opponent of the ordinance said he fears this could be the first of even more restrictive gun laws in the future.
“The ordinance to store firearms was only passed for one reason,” said Deerfield resident Larry Nordal, the Chicago Tribune reported. “That was to have an amendatory vehicle that could be used in the future for just this purpose so you could banish assorted firearms in the future. First it’s going to be assault rifles. (There will be) new bans in the future. It’s just a matter of time.”
According to Deerfield Village Manager Kent Street, the city ordinance was inspired by a similar ban in another Illinois town — Highland Park. In 2013, Highland enacted a ban that was challenged by one of the city’s residents and the Illinois State Rifle Association.
“The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that legislation constitutional and the U.S. Supreme Court let the decision stand when it declined to take up the appeal,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
“If Highland Park, if Deerfield, if more towns say no to this type of weapon, maybe the state of Illinois says no,” said Street. “Maybe the federal government says no.”
The gun rights group Guns Save Lives is challenging the ordinance, WGN reported.
The group’s president, John Boch, said in a statement, “We are going to fight this ordinance, which clearly violates our member’s constitutional rights, and with the help of the NRA I believe we can secure a victory for law-abiding gun owners in and around Deerfield.”
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