Federal appeals court upholds controversial Illinois gun control law
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A federal appeals court has upheld a controversial Illinois gun control law that largely bans assault weapons.
The U.S. Court of Appeals’ 7th Circuit decision, issued Thursday, reversed a district court decision that declared the ban unconstitutional.
“The law criminalizes, among other things, the manufacture, sale, delivery, purchase and possession of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. The grandfather clause allows pre-existing legal owners of regulated items to continue to possess them,” he said on Thursday. decision noted.
US JUDGE REVERSES ILLINOIS’ BAN ON SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, GOVERNOR PROMISES SPEED APPEAL
AR-15-style Smith & Wesson M&P-15 semi-automatic rifles are displayed at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 28, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
“For the following reasons, we focus on the Act’s application to AR-15s and thirty-round rifle magazines. We believe the Act’s restrictions on these items are consistent with the principles that undergird our Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation. Therefore, whether to accept or reject them is a decision made by our elected representatives, and we are reversing it,” the resolution said.
Chief Justice Michael Brennan dissented from the panel’s decision.
“Our nation’s enduring traditions prohibit governments from banning firearms generally owned for self-defense. Because people overwhelmingly choose the AR-15 rifle and magazine as their weapon of choice, they are protected by the Second Amendment,” Brennan wrote.
“Illinois’ ban goes too far and should be banned as unconstitutional. I respectfully oppose it,” he said.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat who signed the controversial law in early 2023, welcomed the court’s decision.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker held a press conference in Chicago on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, to sign into law the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act (HB 5295). (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“BREAKING: The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the IL Communities Protection Act. Illinois will continue to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that can cause mass casualties. A victory that helps keep our communities safe in the fight to end gun violence,” the governor said in a statement Thursday. to mail In X.
State Attorney General Kwame Raoul also congratulated the decision.
“This is a victory that improves public safety in Illinois. We have seen the damage that assault weapons and large-capacity magazines can do, and these weapons of war have no place in our communities,” he said in a statement Thursday. he said. expression. “My office successfully defended the state’s ban on these weapons in both state and federal court, and I am extremely proud of the hard-working attorneys in my office who worked diligently to protect this critical public safety measure.”
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Stag Arms AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles are on display during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 28, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
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The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) was unhappy with the decision.
“NSSF is the plaintiff in this case and plans to file a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court,” the group said. statesmenon Thursday.
