“The Democrats in charge of the state have gone too far with their latest gun restrictions. Law-abiding Illinois gun owners are pushing back.”
On January 10, the general assembly and governor of Illinois acted gleefully in defiance of the United States Supreme Court on a civil-rights issue. Behold: the Protect Illinois Communities Act. But as bad as this massive gun-control overreach is, it likely represents the apogee of gun-control efforts in Illinois. Its disregard for the Constitution is so blatant that its defeat could lead to further rollback of gun-rights infringements in the Prairie State.
The act criminalizes the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of a host of firearms, parts, accessories, and magazines, including all versions of America’s favorite rifle, the AR-15. Magazines holding more than ten rounds (rifle) or 15 rounds (pistol) are also prohibited from sale. By October, the Illinois state police is to establish a registry for owners of the banned items. Residents will have until January 2024 to legally declare their pre-ban ownership of now-banned firearms.
But here’s why the Illinois government’s gun-control hubris may have met its nemesis. Last summer, the Supreme Court reset the table on gun rights in its Bruen decision. The plaintiff’s complaint in this case was largely about New York’s arbitrary “may issue” concealed-licensing scheme. However, in addition to smacking down the state, the Supreme Court simultaneously granted certiorari, vacated, and remanded back to the lower courts four other gun-control laws: California’s ten-round magazine limit, New Jersey’s ten-round magazine limit, Maryland’s “assault weapon” ban, and Hawaii’s “may issue” concealed-carry-licensing scheme.
By Dan P. Eldridge
