Illinois Dems Push for Gun Magazine Limits

An Illinois State Senate committee is expected to vote on a gun control measure on Monday.

Lawmakers are scheduled to hear from some parents whose children died in December’s mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Three parents from Connecticut talked Sunday in Chicago about banning high capacity magazines.

A proposed bill would make magazines that hold more than 10 rounds illegal.

Nicole Hockley’s 6-year-old son Dylan was killed in the Newtown school shooting.

"If the shooter’s magazines had held 10 rounds instead of 30, forcing him to reload many more times, what additional opportunities would have been available for someone to disarm him, as we’ve seen in other tragedies?" Hockley said.

Meantime - Senate President John Cullerton - a Chicago Democrat - said a vote could come down to one or two senators.

"I want to see these three parents come down to Springfield, Illinois and I want them to make some of the senators very uncomfortable," Cullerton said.

Legislators have had a hard time agreeing on concealed carry legislation. They face a June 9 deadline imposed by a federal appeals court to legalize concealed carry.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn wants an assault weapons ban and tried unsuccessfully to push for one in the past.

“Limiting high capacity ammunition magazines as I’ve said is a mathematical issue, and if we can reduce the number of bullets that come from these deadly weapons to save lives, we owe it to all of our families and children to do it," Quinn said. "We’re going to make it happen.”