Staff Reports
In yet another disappointing decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to issue a temporary block on a radical Illinois law that bans so-called “assault weapons.” This means that the state is now free to launch the far-reaching ban on January 1. The Supreme Court issued a brief, which listed no dissenters and did not offer any explanation for their decision.
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'Assault Weapons' Ban to Take Effect in Just a Few Weeks After Supreme Court Declines to Block ItREAD: https://t.co/Un3QR32iLX
— Constitutionalist ? ?? (@Kc_Casey1) December 17, 2023
It seems that the Supremes did not feel inclined to put a halt on the gun ban while it is being challenged in a lower court. The law, known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act, restricts the sale and purchase of semi-automatic “assault weapons,” including popular rifles like the AR-15 and AK-47. It also requires citizens who already own these types of weapons to register themselves with the Illinois State Police by January 1.
This law was hastily passed by the left-wing, Democrat-controlled state legislature and signed into law by Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker in 2022. It came in response to a tragic incident where a man used a semi-automatic rifle to kill seven people and wound 48 during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park. The Supreme Court’s decision is the third time that those opposing the law have failed to convince a court to block it. The 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago and the Democrat-dominated Illinois Supreme Court have both upheld the law in previous rulings.
However, despite the courts’ enthusiasm for this outrageous ban and its accompanying self-registration rules, it appears that very few Illinois gun owners are actually complying. Only about 0.1 percent of the state’s 2.4 million registered gun owners have registered their firearms as required by the new law. Furthermore, a large number of sheriffs in the state’s 102 counties have warned that they will refuse to enforce this gun ban. As we have seen before, sheriffs play a crucial role in defending the rights of law-abiding gun owners against unconstitutional laws. This Illinois ban clearly violates the “shall not be infringed” clause of the Second Amendment, especially with its rule that only “trained” individuals, such as soldiers and police officers, be allowed to own a semi-automatic firearm.
The Founding Fathers intended for all Americans who could be called to the militia to have the same firearms as the U.S. military. That was the whole point of the Second Amendment. But with this law, only state operatives are permitted to own the firearms in question. This is a clear violation of the Constitution and goes against the principle that the people are in charge, not the government. The fight against this outrageous ban is far from over, and this decision by the Supreme Court is a temporary setback. But the war is not yet lost, and we must continue to fight for the rights of lawful gun owners and for the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
