CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Pass the ordinance amending Title 3 of the Naperville Municipal Code to prohibit the local commercial sale of assault rifles
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DEPARTMENT: Legal Department
SUBMITTED BY: Michael DiSanto, City Attorney
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
There have been dozens of mass shootings in the United States during the last decade, including the following three:
1. July 4, 2022 - Highland Park, IL
Seven people were murdered, and 46 others were injured during a mass shooting that took place during an Independence Day parade. The shooter used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle with three 30-round magazines to fire 83 shots into the parade crowd from the rooftop of a local store. A 22-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged.
2. May 24, 2022 - Uvalde, Texas
21 people were murdered (19 children and 2 staff members), and 18 others were injured during a mass shooting that took place at Robb Elementary School. The 18-year-old shooter used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle.
3. May 14, 2022 - Buffalo, New York
Ten people were murdered, and 3 others were injured during a mass shooting that took place in a grocery store. The shooter used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle. An 18-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged.
Commonplace in mass shootings are the use of lawfully purchased assault rifles. The U.S. Department of Justice describes assault weapons as "semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use."
Like many of the municipalities that have encountered mass shootings involving assault rifles, Naperville has a vibrant commercial area, public parks, restaurants, movie theaters, music venues, parades, elementary, middle and high schools both public and private, colleges and universities, houses of worship of many denominations, and other places where members of the public gather with an expectation of safety.
The Second ...
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