Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources warns Illinois hunters about shotgun use on public land

QUINCY — The Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources is warning Illinois hunters about the impact of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PA 102-1116). Common sporting shotguns used by snow goose hunters in Illinois no longer will be allowed on public lands as of Monday, April 10, even though snow goose season runs through April 30 in Illinois.

PA 102-1116 defines an “assault weapon” as a semi-automatic shotgun with a magazine capacity greater than five rounds. However, federal regulations on snow goose hunting allow for the use of semi-automatic shotguns with unlimited magazine capacity, and most hunters use shotgun with an eight-round capacity. 

Under PA 102-1116, these shotguns are prohibited from being possessed on public lands including fish and wildlife areas, state parks, the Shawnee National Forest or Corps of Engineers properties as of April 10 — 90 days after the passing of the public act.

Turkey hunters are the next group to be affected by PA 102-1116. Illinois turkey season has begun in southern Illinois and opens in the rest of the state on April 10. Commonly used semi-automatic turkey shotguns, such as the Mossberg 930, also are considered ‘assault weapons” banned from public land hunting under PA 102-1116. These shotguns have a pistol-style grip which allows for easier handling, but it causes them to be banned under the new law.

Glenn Sanders, retired Conservation police supervisor and vice-president of IFOR, said in a press release, “It is a shame that these commonly used shotguns, which are legal to hunt with on Sunday, suddenly became illegal on Monday due to short-sighted implementation of Public Act 102-1116. The law set a deadline of Oct. 1 for the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Natural Resources to exempt these types of common hunting guns from rules, but possession on public lands is banned effective April 10. This six-month discrepancy is yet another example of how rushed and flawed this law was in its creation and passing.”

IFOR is warning hunters that the presence of a plug in your magazine that limits capacity does not change its status as an “assault weapon” under PA 102-1116. The law does not specify chamber size limitations in shotguns. Twelve-gauge shotguns carry shells ranging from 1¾ inches to 3½ inches in length, depending on chamber size. A 3½-inch chambered 12-gauge shotgun can hold more than five rounds of smaller rounds, such as 2½ inches or even eight rounds or more of the mini shells such as the 1¾-inch size.

“Unfortunately with the existence of smaller shells and the lack of clarity in the new law, it appears that nearly every semi-automatic shotgun in existence will have to be registered in Illinois and still won’t be able to be used for sporting purposes on Illinois lands,” Sanders said. “We made legislators aware of this issue for the few days that the law was debated in Springfield, but the final bill does appear to treat nearly all semi-automatic hunting guns as ‘assault weapons.’”

IFOR is a not-for-profit 501 c(4) conservation organization. Its main purpose is to unite Illinois outdoorsmen under one statewide umbrella and protect and defend the recreational rights of natural resource users in Illinois. The organization has united more than 100 conservation groups, and more than 76,000 outdoorsmen are members.