Illinois lawmakers have abandoned efforts to pass gun control legislation in the final days of their current session. An assault weapons ban was scheduled to be debated in front of a House committee Sunday, as lawmakers hustle to try to pass several bills before the end of session on Wednesday.But the committee meeting lasted less than two minutes, once it was clear the bill wasn’t going to come up.
Opponents of gun control measures burst into applause, displaying the high emotions that go along with the debate.
Nathan Moyer from Decatur took the moment to shout to the room.
"Anytime tyranny is put together by the judicial system that is corrupt, the little man will stand" Moyer said.
Also making the trek to Springfield was Randy Burrus from Assumption, Illinois, which is just southwest of Springfield.
He says he’s part of a group called Oath Keepers – a group of veterans, police officers and firefighters.
They even have a pamphlet.
Burrus says the Oath Keepers have 10 orders from the government they would not obey.
"And the first order is we will not obey any order to disarm the American people" Burrus said.
Burrus called Sunday a victory.
"When the American people is disarmed, that’s when freedom is finished" Burrus added.
The proposed bill goes into detail about specific guns that would not be allowed in the state.
But those who already own one of those banned weapons could keep it.
State Rep. Edward Acevedo says he pulled the ban from consideration because the Senate didn’t pass gun control legislation last week.
"I didn’t want my colleagues to vote for something – on an issue that they were gonna – that wasn’t necessarily gonna go through" Acevedo said.
That said - Acevedo says he’ll try again next session.
"Based on the tragedies that continue to occur with these mass killings, I think it’s important that we come to some sort of agreement that these weapons should not be in the hands of individuals that don’t necessarily should have them in their possession" Acevedo said.
And when it does come back – gun control opponents like Nathan Moyer say they’ll be back, quote, “like a bad nightmare.”