Illinois is the biggest manufacturer of military-style semiautomatic weapons modified to skirt the 10-year-old assault weapons ban, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Violence Policy Center said six Illinois gun makers — Armalite Inc., DS Arms Inc., Eagle Arms, Les Baer Custom Inc., Rock River Arms Inc. and Springfield Armory Inc. — have produced such “post-ban” assault rifles.
The companies have produced at least 109,000 rifles since 1995, the study found.
The 1994 assault weapons ban — which expires in September — outlawed 19 models of guns, Uzis, MAC-10s and AK-47s. The Illinois companies manufacture similar weapons with modifications that make them legal.
Link: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-guns04.html