On Wednesday, the Conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court granted a temporary victory to Left-leaning lawmakers in Illinois.
They ruled that the State’s ban on “assault weapons” will continue to be in effect while the issue is debated in lower courts.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is currently deliberating the case.
As usual, the Court did not explain its decision; there were no dissenting votes.
The Court’s decision was not surprising—the Supreme Court rarely engages in cases yet to be resolved in lower courts. However, the decision disappointed many, including the Illinois gun shop owner who requested an injunction to stay the State’s ban, which went into effect in January.
The ruling allows the Illinois law to remain unchanged while lower courts argue the ban’s legality.
The new Illinois law, the Protect Illinois Communities Act, was ratified on Jan. 10, 2023. It prohibits the sale, and new possession of semi-automatic “assault weapons.”
Included in the list of banned firearms are the AR-15 and AK-47 rifles.
Those who currently own an “assault weapon” are encouraged but not required to surrender their firearms to officials. However, gun owners are required to register their weapons with State Police.
The law bans the sale of large-capacity magazines, the sale of several types of weapons, and forbids the transport of those weapons into the State.
Judge Stephen Patrick McGlynn (R) initially granted an injunction, arguing that the new law “infringed on the right to self-defense…[and] completely obliterated that right by criminalizing the purchase and sale of more than 190 arms.”
However, Appellate Judge Frank Easterbrook subsequently reversed McGlynn’s ruling.
Many expect the Supreme Court will hear the case in the future.
