DeKALB | The Illinois House of Representatives defeated a bill Wednesday that would limit gun owners to purchasing one handgun per month.

According to Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Sycamore) the bill, House Bill 4393, will now go into postponed consideration. Pritchard said because the sponsor of the bill lost, there is no formal record of the vote.

According to a Wednesday news release, Gov. Rod Blagojevich expressed his disappointment with the bill’s defeat and those who voted against it.

“Today’s House vote is a big disappointment to everyone involved in the fight against gun violence,” Blagojevich said in the news release. “But we won’t give up, we’ll keep lobbying and pushing lawmakers to take action. The young lives at stake are too important to forget.”

Pritchard said he was against the bill because he felt it limited the Second Amendment rights of citizens and that it would not stop illegal gun trafficking in Illinois.

“It’s a kind of transparent effort by the city of Chicago to take away the Second Amendment rights,” Pritchard said. “It is already illegal in the city of Chicago to do that.”

Pritchard added that the bill would still allow gun traffickers to go to other states to buy handguns to sell in Illinois. He also believes the law would prevent law-abiding citizens to purchase multiple handguns at gun shows.

Stephen Young, head of the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said he does not accept that reason from legislators. Young believes passing the bill would have a real impact on the streets. He said if the state cuts off one route of supply, then it would put the pressure on neighboring states to pass similar laws on purchasing handguns.

“If you cut off an area of supply and criminals go to Indiana to traffic guns, the pressure will be on Indiana to pass this type of law,” Young said.

Sophomore marketing major Mary Aurich said she supports the bill, saying that ownership of multiple handguns is not needed.

“It should be a law; I’ve always thought so. If you [own] it for protection, you only need one,” Aurich said. “There is no need for someone to own 23 firearms. You only need one for protection.”

Aurich also said she was shocked at Pritchard’s stance on the bill, especially considering that Pritchard represents DeKalb and thus NIU.

“I’m more in shock that he would vote against it because of what recently happened on campus,” Aurich said. “You think that when violence, like the shooting [occurs], that it would be a wake-up call.”

A ban on buying handguns is only in place in Chicago and is not statewide. Proponents of the bill included the city of Chicago, along with Cook County and the Chicago Police Department.

Sponsors of the bill were Reps. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago), John A. Fritchey (D-Chicago), David E. Miller (D-Dolton), Kathleen A. Ryg (D-Vernon Hills), Elizabeth Hernandez (D-Cicero) and Charles E. Jefferson (D-Rockford).

Opponents of the bill include the National and Illinois Rifle Associations and the Department of Corrections.

The bill was to amend the Criminal Code of 1961. If passed, it would create the offense of unlawful acquisition of handguns with a penalty of a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony for the second and subsequent offenses.

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