MARION, Ill. (WSIL) -- A gun rights group plans to sue Illinois once the Protect Illinois Communities Act becomes law.
On Wednesday, the House passed a revised version of the bill that included Senate amendments and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk. Governor Pritzker said he plans to sign the bill into law at 8pm Tuesday night.
The Illinois State Rifle Association plans to sue the state, says executive director Richard Pearson. The process will begin with temporary restraining orders before filing for a permanent one, according to Pearson.
HB 5471 bans assault style weapons, limits the number of magazine rounds to 10 for long guns and 15 for hand guns and requires gun owners to register their rifles' serial numbers to Illinois State Police.
Pearson believes the bill helps Illinois' pockets and not its prisons.
"The point of this bill is actually to register firearms and force Illinois citizens to do it and actually pay for it while they're doing it."
State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) believes this lawsuit will reach the U.S. Supreme Court and will be deemed unconstitutional.
Bryant cited the 2022 SCOTUS ,ÌýNew York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. That decision overturned a 1911 law that required a license to carry concealed weapons in public places.
"If they voted 'YES' on this bill, they clearly violated their oath of office," Bryant said. "The attorneys that did it also violated their oath as attorneys. So we'll just have to see what happens in court."
Larry Morse, a shooting range officer, grew up in Harrisburg, Illinois and learned to safely shoot a gun with his dad 60 years ago.
"It was just a way of life growing up," Morse said.
Morse says the inevitable law won't reduce mass shootings in Illinois but will reduce a person's right to self-defense. Morse believes everyone, including teachers, should be prepared to defend themselves.
"Those gun-free school zone signs ought to come down," Morse said. "If [teachers] want to protect themselves in the classroom, why wouldn't we do that?"