One bill bans the sale of semi-automatic handguns and rifles.
Under the proposal, people who already own them would be able to keep them but must register the guns.
A second bill bans high capacity ammunition clips. The bill would limit clips to no more than 10 rounds.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a vocal gun control advocate, applauded the committee for its action on the bills.
"I commend the members of the Public Health Committee of the Illinois Senate for approving gun-control legislation that restricts high-capacity magazines and assault weapons designed for battlefields and not America's streets," Emanuel said in a press release. "In order to protect our children, our families and our communities, we need common-sense laws that provide the residents of our cities with the safety they deserve."
Both bills now go to the full senate.
