SPRINGFIELD — Passage of the historic assault-weapons ban earlier this week was more than legislative prowess. It was a full-out political campaign involving some of the biggest players in Chicago business, politics and political consulting. Though efforts to ban assault weapons had been tried for years, the catalyst this time was the Highland Park mass shooting that killed seven and injured dozens, including a close friend of Michael Sacks. The “Rahm Whisperer”: The Chicago financier, known for working behind the scenes with the former mayor, was distraught. Friends called and said something has to be done. “They were angry and frustrated that guns continued to permeate every part of society,” Sacks told Playbook. “They asked for some advice to bring about real change.” Sacks called his friend Gov. JB Pritzker and asked if he was up for a fight. “JB was unequivocal,” Sacks said. “He said it’s tough politics, but we need to do it. Let’s go!” Without divulging names, Sacks said his friends reached out to scores of their friends who made donations to form a campaign organization to support an assault weapons ban bill. Rep. Bob Morgan would carry the measure. It was personal to him, too, because he had been in the parade that day. Then Becky Carroll joined . She’s a political veteran who worked on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign as well as with Pritzker and Emanuel. The Protect Illinois Communities Campaign, as it’s called, hired top strategists, communications people, pollsters, messaging professionals and lobbyists “to do their thing,” Sacks said. They included AKPD Message & Media, Gambit Strategies, Winning Connections, The Strategy Group, H/Co, Global Strategy Group and Carroll’s C-Strategies. The goal was two-pronged: Create a campaign to inform lawmakers and to motivate constituents to poke at their Springfield representatives. Lobbyists Ron Holmes and Heather Wier Vaught huddled with lawmakers, especially those from communities that were hesitant about any bill that might infringe on 2nd Amendment rights or unfairly target minority communities. Both chambers held working groups, with the House enlisting high-profile advocacy groups such as Everytown, Brady, Giffords and the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action. They've worked on the issue for decades, so their counsel gave lawmakers confidence that the new law could pass legal muster. Timing was everything. The governor wanted a bill on his desk during the lame-duck legislative session. Along with making it easier to pass such legislation – you don’t need as many votes during a lame- duck session – Pritzker wanted to start his second term with a big win. It should have been easy, given both chambers are run by Democrats. But there were members in both chambers squeamish about a bill calling for current assault weapons owners to document the guns they own. Except for outgoing House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, Republicans opposed the bill outright. And gun manufacturers and their lobbyists warned of lawsuits. Symbolic gesture: House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch took over the bill — it was the first one he’s presented on the House floor since he became speaker two years ago. In the early hours of Jan. 6, after his impassioned floor speech, the House passed the bill. Supporters were jubilant. But two days later, the Senate came through with its own bill that was criticized by Pritzker, Welch and advocates for not having enough teeth. It got awkward: Now it was Monday, and Pritzker, Welch and Harmon had to smile for the noon inauguration before returning to a behind-the-scenes bargaining table that afternoon. Time for the ball: At 6:20 p.m., less than an hour before the inauguration gala was to begin, a joint statement emerged from Pritzker, Harmon and Welch. An agreement had been reached that looks much like the House bill with some Senate tweaks. Pritzker signed it into law Tuesday night, putting Illinois on record as being one of only nine states to ban assault weapons. RELATED — Praise from the White House for taking “bold action.” — With state’s ban on military-style firearms, Illinois gun shop owners wake up to a new reality, by Tribune’s Jake Sheridan and Dan Petrella — A new battle emerges: Greene County Sheriff Robert McMillen posted a memo on Facebook to residents saying his department will not abide by the new law that requires owners of existing assault weapons to register their weapons with the state. “Neither myself, my deputies, nor my office will be conducting or participating in any investigations or arrests, or assisting any outside agency or agencies in any investigations or arrests, concerning lawful gun owners failing to register their weapons with the state, or any other of the unconstitutional provisions contained in HB5471,” McMillen wrote. Pritzker’s office called it “political grandstanding at its worst.” In a statement: “Sheriffs have a constitutional duty to uphold the laws of the state, not pick and choose which laws they support and when. We’re confident that this law will hold up to any future legal challenges, but again, it is the current law of our state. Anyone who advocates for law, order, and public safety and then refuses to follow the law is in violation of their oath of office,” according to the governor’s statement.
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