Supreme Court Declines to Block Illinois’ Assault Weapons Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block Illinois’ ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

The state law, enacted earlier this year, remains in effect following the court’s latest decision.

A gun rights group and a gun store owner sought an emergency ruling to stop enforcement of the law.

They argued the ban violates their Second Amendment rights. However, the Supreme Court declined their request in a brief ruling without dissent.

This marks the second time the court has rejected attempts to overturn the Illinois restrictions. Though the case may return to the Supreme Court later, the law currently stands.

The Illinois law was passed in response to a mass shooting on July 4th in Highland Park, where seven people were killed and many others injured.

The state’s Democratic leadership pushed for stricter gun control measures after the tragedy, as the Conservative Brief reported.

Signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker in January, the ban prohibits possession, manufacture, sale, delivery, import, and purchase of assault weapons and .50 caliber rifles. It also targets related attachments and ammunition.

The legislation further bans kits or tools that increase the firing rate of semiautomatic firearms. Limits are also placed on purchases of certain high-capacity magazines.

Following the Supreme Court decision, litigation over the law will continue in lower courts. The case involves The Law Weapons and Supply, owned by Robert Bevis, along with the National Association for Gun Rights.

These groups claim the ban violates the Supreme Court’s recent Second Amendment standards established in landmark rulings. They argue the law infringes on fundamental rights.

“Delaying a right results in its denial,” said Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights. He vowed to return to the Supreme Court with further legal challenges.

Last year, the court’s conservative majority ruled that new gun laws must align with historical American firearm regulations. This decision has influenced ongoing cases nationwide.

In February, a federal district judge refused to block the Illinois law or related Chicago ordinances. That ruling was upheld last month by a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Plaintiffs then asked the Supreme Court to pause enforcement while appeals proceed. They claimed the restrictions cause irreparable harm to lawful gun owners.

In court filings, the plaintiffs called the appeals court ruling “manifestly erroneous” and emphasized the impact on Illinois residents’ rights.

Illinois countered that the plaintiffs failed to meet the Supreme Court’s strict criteria for emergency relief. The state urged the justices to deny the petition.

The state noted that no other parties in related consolidated cases sought similar emergency relief. Illinois argued the reasons for denial are consistent across these challenges.

Since last year’s landmark expansion of Second Amendment rights, the Supreme Court has repeatedly denied emergency requests to halt gun control laws.

Meanwhile, the court is reviewing another case involving a federal law barring firearm possession by individuals under restraining orders. A decision on that case is expected by the end of June.

That ruling could further clarify the Supreme Court’s approach to evaluating Second Amendment challenges and gun control statutes.

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