Community Corner

Assault Weapons Ban Being Considered In Clarendon Hills

The potential ban will be discussed by trustees at Monday night's Village Board meeting.

With a deadline fast approaching, a ban on assault weapons in Clarendon Hills will be discussed and possibly acted on at Monday night’s Village Board meeting, according to a release from village staff.

The ordinance that will be discussed Monday “would make it illegal to possess certain assault weapons, generally defined as guns with higher capacity and advanced features,” the release states. The ordinance will single out specific types of weapons and attributes that would fall under the ban.

READ: What Nearby Communities Are Doing on Assault Weapons

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Village officials have not previously considered a ban, but were spurred by the passage this week of concealed carry legislation in Illinois that, according to its language, prevents local governments from implementing such bans except within 10 days of the law’s passing.

That gives trustees until July 19 to pass a ban.

Find out what's happening in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The new conceal carry legislation is forcing our community to consider this issue now or lose the ability to ever regulate certain weapons,” Village President Tom Karaba said in the release. “We would have preferred to address this issue on our own time and based on our community’s need, but this bill has given us no choice. We do not want to miss out on this limited opportunity to consider whether certain weapons are appropriate for our community.”

READ: No Assault Weapons Ban Coming to Hinsdale

If the ordinance is approved and enacted by the board Monday, its only chance to act on it within the 10-day window, the ban would not begin until July 1, 2014.

The release states, “The delayed effective date would allow the village to have a broader community conversation over the next year about whether the community wants to ban these types of weapons, and if so, to allow the Clarendon Hills Police Department to develop enforcement policies prior to the July 1, 2014 enforcement date.”


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