Rockford Sun

State Rep. John M. Cabello (R-Machesney Park) says that Senate Bill 8 is a “misguided” gun control measure that punishes law-abiding citizens without addressing violent crime. 

The bill requires gun owners to securely store firearms and imposes penalties ranging from $500 for minor offenses to $10,000 for serious violations. 

Cabello argued the legislation unfairly targets gun owners, noting that a homeowner whose firearm is stolen during a break-in could face a $10,000 fine, which he called “ridiculous and anti-American.”

“It's all about making the legal gun owners criminals, and let's not go after the criminals that actually have the illegal guns or the felons that have weapons and enhance those penalties because that's where all the crime's coming from,” Cabello told the Rockford Sun. “We're going to make everybody else a criminal and not worry about those actual violent criminals.”

The bill, which passed both houses of the General Assembly on May 28, now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.

Cabello expressed frustration over the limited discussion surrounding the bill.

"Obviously, there is some debate, but not much because they're stifling debate as much as they can," he said.

Despite opposition from Cabello and other Republicans, Senate Bill 8 passed the House with a 69-40 vote and was unanimously approved by Democrats, underscoring ongoing partisan divides over gun policy in the state.

“They've got too many liberal Democrats, not enough Republicans, and that's what happens,” he said. “Elections have consequences, and we keep doing the same thing—electing the same party to supermajorities in every constitutional office is what happened.”

Cabello, who also works as a police detective for the Rockford Police Department, expressed frustration with the bill and the political dynamics behind it.

“I’m hoping somebody’s going to file a lawsuit, but by now we thought the U.S. Supreme Court would take up the assault weapons ban and it happened,” he said. “I just don’t know anymore.”

The assault weapons ban noted by Cabello, known as the Protecting Illinois Communities Act, was enacted in 2023 and prohibits more than 170 types of common firearms. 

It also required owners to register these firearms with the state by Jan. 1, 2024. A coalition of gun rights groups challenged the law in federal court, arguing it violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments by targeting commonly owned firearms and relying on a vague, overly broad definition of “assault weapons.” 

That case has not yet been taken up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cabello compared the legislation to other bills passed this session. 

“I mean, it's just crazy,” Cabello said. “So we passed a bill where we're gonna have assisted physician suicide, which isn't even physician assisted. It's just you're gonna get the medication and you're going to be able to kill yourself. But we allow 12-year-olds to have an abortion without their parent notification. We have the assault weapons ban. But they want guns under lock and key twenty-four hours a day—but they're going to give this medication to go kill yourself openly and freely. There's no rules or regulations really.”

He added that the General Assembly’s priorities fit into a broader agenda by Democrat lawmakers. 

“All that's coming down is they hate Trump,” he said. “They're going to do everything they can to make Illinois the exact opposite of what's good and going on in the red states so that Pritzker has a platform to walk for president, because that's what he's doing, and he's walking to be president.”