Town in Illinois Bans Assault Weapons

Deerfield, a town in Illinois, recently moved to ban assault weapons. The assault weapons ban includes the AR-15, the same type of weapon that was used in the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Deerfield lawmakers claim that the new measure will make the town safer from mass shootings and serve the best interests of the public. Town officials further argued that the measure will spur a culture change by furthering the idea “that assault weapons should have no role or purpose in civil society.” The ordinance goes into effect on June 13, 2018, and will make it unlawful to possess, sell, transport, or store assault rifles in Deerfield, IL. The ordinance defines rifles as semi-automatic rifles able to accept a large magazine and further states that rifles such as the AR-15, AK-47, and Uzis are strictly banned. Violating the new law will result in a fine of between $250 and $1,000 for each day the violation occurs.

With respect to Deerfield residents who already own such firearms, the town is requesting that they sell the weapons, hand them over to local police, or move them out of the village within 60 days of the ordinance going into effect.

New Jersey Assault Firearms Laws

Gun laws in New Jersey are also very strict and carry severe penalties for violators. In NJ, a weapon can be classified as an “assault firearm” if it meets criteria set forth in the NJ Criminal Code.

A semi-automatic rifle is defined as an assault firearm if it is able to accept detachable magazines and at least two of the following:

• Folding or telescoping stock
• Pistol grip
• Bayonet mount
• Flash suppression or threaded barrels designed to accommodate one
• Grenade launcher mount

A semi-automatic pistol is defined as an assault firearm if it has a detachable magazine and at least two of the following:

• Magazine that attaches outside the pistol grip
• Threaded barrel to attach barrel extender, flash suppressor, handgrip, or suppressor
• Barrel shroud safety feature that prevents burns to the operator
• Unloaded weight of 50 oz (1.4 kg) or more
• A semi-automatic version of a fully automatic firearm

A semi-automatic shotgun is defined as an assault firearm if it has at least two of the following:

• Folding or telescoping stock
• Pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon
• A magazine capacity exceeding six rounds
• An ability to accept a detachable magazine

The following manufacturers, models, and types of assault firearms are banned:

• Armalite AR-180 type
• Australian Automatic Arms SAR
• Avtomat Kalashnikov type semi-automatic firearms
• Beretta AR-70 and BM59 semi-automatic firearms
• Bushmaster Assault Rifle
• Calico M-900 Assault carbine and M-900
• CETME G3
• Chartered Industries of Singapore SR-88 type
• Colt AR-15 and CAR-15 series (Colt Match Target Rifle are allowed)
• Daewoo K-1, K-2, Max 1 and Max 2, AR 100 types
• Demro TAC-1 carbine type
• Encom MP-9 and MP-45 carbine types
• FAMAS MAS223 types
• FN-FAL, FN-LAR, or FN-FNC type semi-automatic firearms
• Franchi SPAS 12 and LAW 12 shotguns
• G3SA type
• Galil type Heckler and Koch HK91, HK93, HK94, MP5, PSG-1
• Intratec TEC 9 and 22 semi-automatic firearms
• M1 carbine type
• M14S type (M1a’s are allowed)
• MAC 10, MAC 11, MAC 11-9mm carbine type firearms
• PJK M-68 carbine type
• Plainfield Machine Company Carbine
• Ruger K-Mini-14/5F and Mini-14/5RF
• SIG AMT, SIG 550SP, SIG 551SP, SIG PE-57 types
• SKS with detachable magazine type
• Spectre Auto carbine type
• Springfield Armory BM59 and SAR-48 type
• Sterling MK-6, MK-7 and SAR types
• Steyr A.U.G. semi-automatic firearms
• USAS 12 semi-automatic type shotgun
• Uzi type semi-automatic firearms
• Valmet M62, M71S, M76, or M78 type semi-automatic firearms
• Weaver Arm Nighthawk