The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Illinois' sweeping ban on semi-automatic weapons.
Illinois' ban was enacted on Jan. 10 when Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law that banned more than 170 different brands or types of semi-automatic rifles and handguns. It also banned the ownership of .50-caliber guns and an assortment of different attachments and devices to allow the rapid firing of semi-automatics. Finally, the law also bans rifles and magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds and 15 rounds, respectively. (Related: Gun rights groups vow to appeal seventh circuit ruling on "assault weapons.")
One seriously questionable portion of the bill requires the registration of firearms, including those that were already in the hands of gun owners before the bill came into law. All legally owned firearms must be registered with the Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024. Those found out of compliance will face a number of criminal penalties.
Lawsuits contesting this sweeping gun bill were immediately filed in both state and federal courts, with the outcomes since then ranging from a preliminary injunction against the law issued in federal court being stayed and thousands of temporary restraining orders being issued in state courts being vacated. Ongoing filings continue to challenge the law on the grounds that it violates the Second and the Fourteenth Amendments.
Supreme Court the last hope of gun rights activists to defeat Illinois gun law
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, the Supreme Court docketed a case brought forward by State Rep. Dan Caulkins, a Republican from Decatur in Central Illinois, challenging the gun and magazine ban.
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Caulkins' case, initially brought to a state court earlier this year, resulted in a ruling in his favor. But the Pritzker administration brought an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court, which resulted in a lengthy legal battle that ended in the Illinois Supreme Court – which includes two justices who refused to recuse themselves despite each receiving $1 million in campaign contributions from Pritzker – siding with the state.
"This is an affront on our republican form of government [and on the] separation of powers," said Caulkins in an interview with The Center Square. "Really, this is why we took this case to the U.S. Supreme Court."
"It is possible that we get oral arguments in the very early part of December, hopefully in time to seek an injunction staying the end date on the registration component," said gun rights advocate Todd Vandermyde.
At around the same time that Caulkins presented this case before the Supreme Court, the District Court for the Southern District of Illinois denied a motion brought forward by the Democratic state government to delay a ruling on plaintiffs seeking an injunction against the Jan. 1, 2024 gun registry deadline.
Similarly, plaintiffs from Naperville, a suburb of western Chicago, have filed a separate motion for a full appeals bench review of a Second Amendment challenge against the bill. Attorney Thomas Maag, representing the Naperville plaintiffs, had earlier requested a similar appeal in the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Maag is also representing another group of plaintiffs challenging the state's ban and registry. This case is pending with the Southern District of Illinois.
Learn more about the assault on gun rights in America at Guns.news.
Watch this clip from "Greg Kelly Reports" on Newsmax explaining how more guns, not fewer, is the actual answer to gun violence.
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