Illinois Assault Weapons Ban: Quinn Veto Gets Walloped By Senate Vote

The Illinois Senate made its point loud and clear, handing Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed ban on assault weapons a thorough drubbing with a 49-4 vote Wednesday.

Quinn's rewritten legislation to prohibit the sale or possession of semi-automatic rifles, high-capacity magazines and .50-caliber guns was overridden without so much as a discussion by the Senate, according to the Associated Press.

Following the deadly shooting at a Colorado movie theater in July, Gov. Quinn gutted the bill sponsored by Republican state Sen. David Luechtefeld originally concerning the purchase of ammunition by mail from in-state companies.

An aide to Quinn told the AP the governor will "vigorously pursue" the assault weapons ban despite hitting a wall with state senators.

The vote now moves to the House, where, if it is also overridden, the original legislation--allowing residents to purchase ammo from in-state companies by mail order--becomes law.

California, Connecticut and New York are among the states to have assault weapons bans similar to the ones proposed by Quinn. According to CBS News, the federal ban on assault weapons expired in 2004.