SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEWSnet/AP) — The state of Illinois plans to outlaw advertising of firearms that produces a public safety threat or appeals to children, militants or others who might use the weapons illegally, in a quest to reduce mass shootings.

Gun-rights advocates say the plan, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker has pledged to sign into law, is a vague decree that violates constitutionally protected right to own guns and also free speech.

The prime exhibit in Attorney General Kwame Raoul's effort is the JR-15, a smaller, lighter version of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, advertised with the tag line, “Get ‘Em One Like Yours.” The maker says it is deliberately made smaller, with added safety features, to fit younger shooters as they learn from adults how to maneuver such a weapon safely. Raoul says it’s marketed to children and potentially entices them to skip adult supervision and start firing.

Opening the door to court challenges is part of ongoing efforts by Democratic lawmakers who control the statehouse to eliminate gun violence. Pritzker also signed a law banning semi-automatic weapons, a law  gun-rights advocates are challenging in federal court.

The latest bill comes after the deadliest six months of mass killings recorded since at least 2006 — all but one of which involved guns.

States are barred from most legal action by a 2005 federal law that prohibits lawsuits blaming manufacturers for criminal use of a purchased gun. But  federal law does allow legal action if a state specifically names firearms and conduct by manufacturers in state law, which is what Raoul's plan would do. He convinced lawmakers by showing them advertising they decided is over-the-line.

The ad for the JR-15, a smaller, lighter .22-caliber rifle, was among them. An emailed statement from the manufacturer, Wee 1 Tactical, said the gun has safety features found on no other gun.

“The JR-15 .22 youth training rifle is for adults who wish to supervise the safe introduction of hunting and shooting sports to the next generation of responsible gun owners," the statement said. “Parents and guardians wanting to pass on this American tradition have been purchasing small caliber, lighter youth training rifles for decades.”

Raoul said he doesn’t have any gun-makers “in the so-called crosshairs. ... It’s not our interest to go fishing.” He hopes the law deters questionable practices and no legal action is necessary.

Other campaigns Raoul has tracked link manufacturers to the military or law enforcement, claiming they are the Pentagon's top choice for a sidearm or long gun, regardless of whether they are or not. This, he said, suggests such claims attract those with ideas about forming illegal private militias.

The suggestion that advertising is geared toward kids or the militia-minded, Mark Oliva, National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade association, said no one under age 18 may own a gun and a minor's access to one must be controlled by a parent. Advertising a gun's suitability for use in combat makes sense because serious gun owners want the most rugged available, Oliva said.

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