Illinois Gun Show Bans AR-15 And Bump Stock Sales After Protesters Speak Out

A monthly Illinois gun show may have become the first in the nation to ban sales of AR-15 rifles following complaints in the wake of the deadly Parkland, Florida, school shooting.

Vendors were told they could not sell the AR-15 or any other assault-style rifles, or the bump stocks that boost the firepower of such weapons, CBS2-TV in Chicago reported. Organizers of the gun show also halted a raffle offering an AR-15 as a prize.

Dozens of demonstrators at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, where the sales are held, traded barbs with counter-protesters at the show Sunday.

The decision by the Pioneer Valley Sportsman’s Association was in response to complaints following the Feb. 14 shooting in which a gunman with an AR-15 killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“We did the ban to try to calm the situation down and show them we are willing to work with” the protesters, Frank Cesare of the sportsman’s group told The Washington Post. He said the ban will remain in effect for the April show, and the organization will decide later on future shows depending on the “mood,” the Post reported.

Cesare told the Post that he has “no problem” with the protesters. “They’re very frustrated with what’s going on; it’s awful; they’re doing what they think is right. I’m frustrated, too,” he said.

Source: huffingtonpost