Statement from Governor Pat Quinn on Senate Committee Passage of Senate Bill 1002

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today released the following statement regarding the passage of Senate Bill 1002 out of the Illinois Senate Executive Committee. Governor Quinn has been working to enact this common sense public safety policy since July 2012:

"Today, we took the first step towards banning the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines in Illinois, which will make our communities safer. By adopting Senate Bill 1002, Illinois would join 10 other states across the country that put reasonable restrictions on the size of these weapons.

"Over the past two days we have heard first-hand about the horrifying damage that high-capacity ammunition magazines can inflict. I am incredibly grateful to the Sandy Hook Elementary parents who have traveled to Illinois to share their stories and lend their voices to this important mission. We must work together on responsible gun laws to help ensure that what happened in Tucson, Ariz., Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. does not ever happen here.

"I thank the members of the Senate Executive Committee for advancing this measure today. I urge members of both houses to take up this common sense public safety policy in the days to come."