The United States Supreme Court refused to issue a temporary halt to a radical Illinois law that prohibits so-called “assault weapons,” allowing the state to implement the far-reaching ban on January 1.
According to Axios, the Supreme Court released an unsigned brief with no dissenters and no explanation for why the Supremes did not feel inclined to halt the gun prohibition while it was being challenged in a lower court.
The brief allows the state to proceed with the Protect Illinois Communities Act as planned.
The law prohibits the sale and purchase of semi-automatic “assault weapons,” such as AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, as well as alleged large-capacity ammunition feeding mechanisms, defined as more than 10 rounds for long arms and 15 rounds or more for pistols.
These magazines, however, are common sizes for the firearms industry; therefore, the restriction does not prohibit “large capacity” devices but rather ordinary, everyday ones. The measure also compels persons who already own weapons and accouterments covered by the law to register with the Illinois State Police by January 1, when the law is scheduled to go into effect.
The left-leaning, Democrat-controlled state legislature passed the legislation in 2022, and Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker then signed it into law. The legislation was rushed through after a maniac used a semi-automatic weapon to kill seven people and injure 48 others during an Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.
The Supreme Court’s decision marks the third time that those suing the state to stop the law have failed to persuade a court to stay the statute while their case is pending.
According to the Associated Press, the 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago voted to uphold the law in November, ruling that the law properly distinguishes between legally owned firearms and those reserved for “trained professionals,” implying that semiautomatic weapons, including the popular AR-15, can lawfully be banned.
In August, the Democrat-dominated Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the law as well.
The state supreme court’s decision came after Trump-appointed Judge Stephen McGlynn of the Southern District of Illinois decided that the statute could not be enforced until its validity was determined.
It does not, however, constitute a formal order because a lower court is currently hearing the case.
Despite these courts’ proclivity to preserve the draconian prohibition and self-registration procedures, it appears that only a minority of Illinois gun owners are complying. According to the Chicago Tribune, only about 3,400 out of the state’s 2.4 million registered gun owners have registered their firearms following the new law.
Furthermore, many of Illinois’ 102 county sheriffs have already stated that they will not implement the gun ban in their districts.
More than half of the sheriffs had already indicated that they would not implement the ban as of January of this year.
The Illinois restriction appears to contradict the Second Amendment’s fundamental “shall not be infringed” section, especially with its rule that only purportedly “trained” persons—such as military personnel and cops—be permitted to purchase a semi-automatic rifle.
After all, the Founding Fathers intended for all Americans who might be called to the militia to have the same weaponry as the United States military. After all, it was the major aim of the amendment.
However, this rule, which states that only state operatives may own the firearms in question, is a clear breach of the spirit of the Constitution and runs against the whole premise that the people reign supreme. The government owns and dominates the people under this law, not the other way around, as the Founders intended.
This is a temporary setback for lawful gun owners and Americans across the country, not just in Illinois. However, the campaign against this heinous ban continues, so the conflict is not yet over.