Illinois gun show bans AR-15 sales

 

The Pioneer Valley Sportsman’s Association, which has hosted the show for more than 40 years, said the decision was linked to the Parkland, Fla., school shooting. 

{mosads}“We did the ban to try to calm the situation down and show them we are willing to work with them,” Frank Cesare of the association said of protesters. 

The club is “waiting to see” what the mood is like before they will decide if the ban is extended for the rest of the year, The Washington Post reported. 

At the gun show inside the fairgrounds, buyers must show a firearm owner’s identification card or permit. 

The semi-automatic AR-15 has been used in multiple mass shootings, including in Newtown, Conn.; San Bernardino, Calif.; Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas. 

A new poll found that 61 percent of American voters support a nationwide ban on AR-15s. 

Democratic senators have introduced legislation to ban assault weapons, a category they say includes the AR-15, but the idea is a non-starter with Republicans and the National Rifle Association. 

The Florida state Senate rejected such a measure days in the weeks following the shooting.