March 14 (UPI) — The Illinois state Senate on Wednesday approved three gun-safety measures placing new restrictions on purchasing and owning firearms and accessories.
The Senate approved a bill to raise the minimum age to own assault-style weapons, assault-style weapon attachments, .50-caliber rifles and large-capacity magazines from 18 to 21 by a vote of 33-22.
The measure would include exemptions for members of the armed forces while performing their duties, transportation of weapons in another state, and possession of a weapon being used for hunting, firing at a shooting range or being used in an event sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.
Due to an amendment the House will need to reconsider the bill before it is sent to the governor for approval.
The Senate also voted to increase the waiting period to receive an assault-style weapon after purchase from 24 hours to 72 hours and ban items used to increase the firing capacity of automatic weapons such as bump stocks and trigger cranks.
State legislators also plan to override a veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner on a bill that would have required gun retailers to be licensed by the state of Illinois in addition to a federal firearms dealer license.
Rauner said Tuesday the bill was “just not right” adding the “unnecessary, burdensome” regulations would hurt small business owners and wouldn’t make communities safer.
The vote comes as thousands of students across the nation walked out of school Wednesday to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Some of the student activists called for stronger gun control laws a means of preventing future shootings. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill to improve school safety, but didn’t address gun control.
