Washington
CNN
—
An Illinois judge on Friday issued a temporary injunction barring enforcement of Illinois’ new gun control law against about 800 plaintiffs.
The law, signed last week by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker as governor for a second term, limits the sale of high-capacity ammunition racks, bans “switches” that allow semi-automatic firearms to fire automatically, and ” It expands the capabilities of ammunition.” Courts have used firearms restriction orders to prevent dangerous individuals from owning firearms.
So-called switches, which effectively turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons, are already prohibited in most situations under federal firearms law.
The ruling is limited to the plaintiffs — more than 800 Illinois residents — in a lawsuit led by former Republican nominee Thomas DeVore for the Illinois Attorney General. claimed.
Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison found the bill likely violated the rights of plaintiffs and suspended the state’s ability to enforce the law against certain groups.
In his ruling, the judge noted that state officials had taken the procedural steps necessary for the law to “meet the rigorous scrutiny required in limiting rights to avoid irreparable harm by definition.” said it did not comply with the requirements of
“This law uses criteria to select who can and cannot own a weapon without due consideration,” Morrison said. “Furthermore, because of the speed with which this bill was passed, it was not possible to consider its impact on protected classes. It was not possible to investigate whether or not
The office of Democratic Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raul has filed a notice of appeal, asking the Court of Appeals to reverse and void the temporary injunction, spokesperson Jamie Dunn Thomason said in a post-judgment statement. Stated.
Pritzker said on Friday he was confident the court would ultimately uphold the law despite the judge’s ruling.
“This decision is not surprising. Unfortunately, it is the first result in many lawsuits brought by plaintiffs whose goal is to advance ideology over public safety,” Pritzker said in a statement on Friday. said in
“We are fully aware that this is just the first step in defending this important piece of legislation,” he continued. “I am confident that the courts will uphold the constitutionality of Illinois law.
The lawsuit is one of several lawsuits filed swiftly after the enactment of new gun laws that were passed largely in line with party lines in the state’s democratically-controlled legislature. It was filed by several gun ownership groups in the Southern District of Illinois, and another was filed in Crawford County. Both are currently awaiting a court date.
Pritzker countered the lawsuit on Wednesday and said he was confident the law would take effect in court because Illinois was the ninth state in the United States to enact a so-called assault weapons ban.
“The fact that it exists has been a challenge for other states to ban assault weapons. Frankly, we are simply copying what is being done in other states. The regulations are one of the strictest, but within the limits of what is constitutionally permissible, that’s what many academics say about our law,” Pritzker said on “CNN This Morning.”
In recent months, Pritzker has approved additional gun-restricting laws in Illinois.
In May, Pritzker signed a law banning individuals from selling or owning “ghost guns” or self-assembled guns. is serialized.
And in June, Pritzker signed another bill requiring the Public Health Service to put together a two-year public awareness campaign on safe gun storage.
This story has been updated with additional information.
