By Mason Mohon | @mohonofficial

At the tail-end of February, the Illinois State 100th General Assembly passed House Bill 1465, effectively banning the sale of assault weapons and .50 caliber weapons to anyone under the age of 21.

The legislation passed February 28th on a vote of 64 to 51, with zero abstentions or absentees.

It is the Section 5 addition to Illinois’s 2012 Criminal Code. In point a, it outlines that the sale of attachments to assault rifles, assault rifles, attachments to .50 caliber weapons, and .50 caliber weapons is strictly prohibited to anyone under the age of 21.

Point c explains that after 90 days of the legislation’s passage, it will become illegal for anyone under 21 to knowingly possess any of these outlined items. Point d provides a few exceptions, such as being an armed serviceman or the firearm being permitted by various athletic organizations.

Sale of assault weapons themselves carries the penalty of a class 3 felony. Sale of the attachments carries the penalty of a class 4 felony. For a .50 caliber firearm, the penalties are the same as those of an assault rifle, and for a .50 caliber cartridge, the law shall exact the penalty of a class A misdemeanor.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

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