Deerfield Bans Assault Weapons, High-Capacity Magazines

DEERFIELD, IL — Deerfield trustees voted unanimously Monday to approve an amendment banning certain semi-automatic firearms and magazines carrying more than 10 bullets. Starting June 13, those who are found to have the banned weapons within village limits will be subject to fines of up to $1,000 per day.

The bill uses the same definition on assault weapons and provides for the same exceptions for military and law enforcement personnel as a 2013 ban in Highland Park that was upheld in federal court. The ban covers notorious rifles like the AK-47 and the AR-15, as well as semi-automatic pistols and shotguns that have certain design characteristics.

Illinois lawmakers gave municipalities a limited window to pass such bans when they passed the state's concealed carry law in 2013.

Deerfield argues its ban is legal because it is merely an amendment to a "placeholder" regulation on the safe storage and transportation of semi-automatic weapons.

"We're not going to go door to door searching people's houses [for banned guns]," Rosenthal previously told Patch. She said it would be up to the chief of police to speak with the residents and see if they have made arrangements to remove prohibited firearms from city limits.

Village Manager Kent Street suggested that if more towns pass such bans, perhaps the state and federal government will follow suit.

Larry Nordahl of Deerfield said he suspected the only reason that ordinance was passed was to provide a vehicle to "banish assorted firearms in the future." He said it was notable to see teenagers show up to a village board meeting and call trustees "courageous and heroic."

Suggesting more bans were coming, Nordahl said the political effect of the ban effectively chases conservatives out of town and "curates" the voting public.

"First it's going to be assault rifles. Of course people who loath, hate, despise firearms are going to encourage new bans in the future," Nordahl predicted. "It's just a matter of time and the right political moment, the right political crisis."

Deerfield High School student Stephen Nagy thanked trustees on behalf of high school students who were not in attendance due to spring break.

"These weapons aren't necessary here in Deerfield or in anyplace," he said. "These objects are meant for enjoyment. They're for those who are law-abiding to have fun with them and they're meant, for those who have malice in mind, for destruction."

Nagy said Deerfield was an extremely safe place and he feels safe at school, but that doesn't stop someone from bringing an assault weapon there and wrecking havoc.

Cecilia Kowalik, a 9th-grader and Deerfield resident, said she fears village trustees are actually putting residents in greater danger with the gun ban.

"All too often we forget that criminals don't play by the rules. They target places [where] there are a lot of people with little protection," she said, pointing out one never hears about mass shooters attacking gun shops and citing data from gun control advocates that 92 percent of all mass shootings since 2009 have taken place in "gun-free" zones.

"These people are looking for populated groups with little to no protection," Kowalik said. "So this proposed ordinance will only serve to make us bigger targets and reduce the safety of the public in Deerfield."

A board member of the Illinois State Rifle Association told trustees during discussion of the bill that they should expect a lawsuit to be filed challenging the amendment.

Trustee Barbara Struthers said she was told some people opposed to the ordinance avoided speaking publicly to avoid ridicule from fellow residents.

"People who disagree with the gun owners should not be beating them over the head just because they disagree," she said before the vote was called.

Bannockburn resident and Deerfield High School senior Ariella Kharasch said it did not matter that no Deerfield gun owners have caused any harm to the community.

"Deerfield is a place of privilege. The geographical and socioeconomic space this village inhabits provides our lives with more ease than the majority of our nation and, quite frankly, the world," she said.

Kharasch, 18, said she and many other high school students had recently voted for the first time on March 20 and planned on continuing to vote.

"My fellow students and I did not get involved until Parkland," she said, "a very similar community to Deerfield. My fellow students and I have also lived 30 minutes away from Chicago our entire lives – a far more impacted community of gun violence. You have taken notice, as many have, for the same reason that we did."

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WATCH: April 2, 2018 public comment and unanimous adoption of amendment to the Village of Deerfield's ordinance regulating firearms.