Nov 5: The Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA)
The Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), recently passed in Illinois, purports to enhance safety by regulating so-called "assault weapons" in the state. This legislation, while seemingly designed to reduce crime and violence, has sparked significant controversy and criticism, particularly from gun rights advocates and those who see the act as an ineffective and poorly conceived approach to public safety. Ironically, while named to "protect" Illinois communities, PICA arguably does little to accomplish this. Instead, it imposes broad and complex restrictions on firearms based primarily on cosmetic features and subjective definitions, requiring law-abiding citizens to navigate an overly bureaucratic system that targets specific guns and accessories with questionable rationale. In this article, we will explore how PICA's approach to gun regulation, its overreach in defining "assault weapons" and "assault weapon attachments," and its confusing requirements for firearm registration create more obstacles...
