Newton, Ill.
— Newton’s gun laws won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2019, after lawmakers in Illinois approved a bill Wednesday that would prohibit gun manufacturers from selling guns with ammunition clips larger than 15 rounds, as well as magazines longer than 30 rounds.
The Illinois House approved the legislation after lawmakers on both sides of the aisle made a deal to avoid a potential lawsuit from manufacturers of ammunition clips that were designed to fit into magazines larger than 30.
Under the compromise bill, Illinois would only require manufacturers of large magazines to make modifications to the designs of the clips or they would be subject to a fine of $5,000.
The new law would also require manufacturers to make an annual report detailing any modifications made to the clips.
The compromise measure passed the House and Senate on Thursday.
It now heads to Gov.
Bruce Rauner’s desk for signature.
Illinois lawmakers were not able to reach a compromise over the summer after the Legislature was split on a budget and passed a $10.4 billion spending package.
The state’s $2.6 trillion budget is $1.8 billion below projections.
Rauner has proposed a $50 million funding boost for state universities to fund the construction of new gun ranges and a $40 million increase in the state’s emergency response fund.
The legislation was also amended to exempt gun retailers from paying the $10-per-clip fee and to include ammunition clips with magazines of less than 30 bullets in the definition of a “magazine.”
The bill passed the Senate after Republican Rep. Dan DeWit voted for the compromise measure and Democrats voted against it.
Democrats in the House voted to override the governor’s veto of the gun control legislation, but the House did not have enough votes to override.
Rauners veto override on gun control bill would allow gun makers to sell guns with clips longer than 15 and to magazines longer to 10 rounds, but it would not go into force until Jan 1, 2020.
If the bill were to become law, Illinois gun owners would be able to legally purchase a handgun and purchase ammunition for it.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.