Illinois
Judge Overturns Illinois Assault Weapons Ban As Gov. Pritzker Vows To Appeal Ruling
Topline
A federal judge deemed Illinois’ ban on assault weapons unconstitutional Friday, according to multiple outlets, though state Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to appeal the ruling that overturned the ban enacted after a 2022 mass shooting killed seven and injured dozens in a Chicago suburb.
The ban was signed into law last year. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via … [+]
Key Facts
U.S. District Judge Stephen P. McGlynn said the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines violated the right to bear arms covered by the Second Amendment, according to the Associated Press, which noted McGlynn’s order does not take effect for 30 days.
Pritzker signed the ban into law in January 2023, prohibiting the selling of assault weapons like the AR-15, along with high-capacity magazines, switches and other attachments, enacting the ban about six months after the 2022 Highland Park shooting.
Pritzker’s office plans to appeal the ruling within the next 30 days and said in a statement the ban “was enacted to and has protected Illinoisans from the constant fear of being gunned down in places where they ought to feel secure,” according to NBC Chicago.
The Highland Park shooting that informed the creation of the ban left seven dead, injured some 48 people and was carried out by a shooter equipped with a Smith & Wesson semi-automatic rifle.
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Contra
The Illinois State Rifle Association said its legislative team “tried to warn lawmakers about the unconstitutionality of Pritzker’s scheme” and called the ban an “affront to citizen’s rights” in a statement posted to its website Friday.
Tangent
Robert Crimo III, the alleged Highland Park shooter, is expected to go to trial early next year after rejecting a plea deal in June.
Key Background
Illinois is one of several states with an assault weapons ban, with California, Washington, Massachusetts and New York among those with similar laws. The legislation has largely been established in response to persistently high levels of mass shootings in the U.S. within the last several years. A total of 449 mass shootings (a minimum of four victims shot, injured or killed, not including the shooter) have occurred in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which reported 656 mass shootings last year.
Further Reading
Alleged Chicago-Area 4th Of July Shooter Abruptly Rejects Plea Deal—Will Face Trial For Killing 7 (Forbes)
US judge tosses Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic weapons, governor pledges swift appeal (AP)