White House hails Illinois assault weapons ban

Illinois has banned the sale of some semiautomatic guns in response to a massacre at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park last year - when a man with a legally owned semiautomatic rifle killed seven people and wounded dozens of others over the course of a few minutes.

STORY: The Biden administration on Wednesday urged other states to join Illinois in banning assault weapons. 

The new law signed late Tuesday, bans sales of many types of weapons that automatically load the next bullet after a shot, including semiautomatic rifles and pistols with detachable magazines. The law lists dozens of popular gun brands made by U.S. gun makers.

Rifles that hold more than 10 bullets and pistols that hold more than 15 are also banned. People who already own such weapons will be able to keep them but must register them with state police.

"Illinois has now become the ninth state across America to pass an assault bans weapon and take bold action to keep weapons of war off America's streets."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday Biden commends the state's leaders, as well as advocates and survivors of mass shootings who pushed for the new regulation. 

"The President continues to urge other states to join California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, Washington D.C., and now Illinois to ban assault weapons at the state level to save lives."

But the new law is expected to face challenges.

Gun owners rights groups say such bans violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment "right to keep and bear arms."

The Illinois State Rifle Association said it would sue to reverse the ban.