Whenever there’s talk about how to curb gun violence, two words often come up: assault weapons.

It’s a loaded term.

Those who own them consider it a meaningless classification, deployed for political purposes.

To critics, the words signify guns literally meant for war.

Illinois is one of 10 states — plus Washington, D.C. — with a so-called assault weapons ban on the books.

While the intention of the term may not be universally agreed upon, Illinois has a definition.

It’s spelled out in the Protect Illinois Communities Act, a 2023 state law that bans “assault weapons” from being purchased, sold or owned in Illinois. 

There is an exception, though. Anyone who legally owned banned guns before the law took effect, can keep them.

Illinois’ definition is thorough, and the list of guns that meet the criteria is constantly evolving. 

At a high level, the law describes an assault weapon as a semiautomatic firearm with the capacity to fire a lot of rounds quickly.

That includes AR-15 style guns — like those used in the mass shootings in suburban Highland Park, as well as in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and elsewhere.

The law prohibits high-capacity magazines as well, defining them as anything with at least 10 rounds of ammunition for long guns; 15 for handguns.

Of course, there are ways to buy a gun illegally, or to modify a legal firearm into one that’s more high-powered — and thus illegal.

And the availability of so-called assault weapons in other states, including all of Illinois’ neighbors, means such guns make their way into Illinois, ban or not. 

Which is, of course, also illegal.

Gun-rights advocates say they shouldn’t have to contend with such limitations. That the Second Amendment protects their right to bear arms, including AR-15s.

Whether Illinois’ law is constitutional is a question the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to settle. 

A Safer City is supported, in part, by the Sue Ling Gin Foundation Initiative for Reducing Violence in Chicago.