Supreme Court upholds ban on semi-automatic weapons in Illinois

The National Rifle Association failed to block the Democrat-backed law that bans certain weapons, ammunition and other accessories.

The Illinois Supreme Court approved upholding bans on semi-automatic firearms per a new Democrat-backed law in the state. The court issued its ruling Thursday on a lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association.

With this decision by the state Supreme Court, semi-automatic rifles and firearms remain banned in the state in accordance with the law that Democratic Governor Pritzker signed in January 2023. The same law includes fines and penalties for those who possess, manufacture, sell, import or transport 50-caliber weapons and ammunition.

The law also establishes prohibitions on accessories or manipulations to firearms that could increase the capacity of their magazines or their rate of fire. Owners of such firearms may keep them if they are officially registered before Jan. 1, 2024.

A right delayed is a right denied, and every day these gun bans are enforced is a travesty of freedom. We will return to the Supreme Court as soon as our legal team finishes drafting our appeal petition.

The National Rifle Association assured that it will take the law back to court through a formal appeal. But for now, defenders of the Second Amendment have been refused by the courts. In August, the law was approved by the Supreme Court, and in November, the Seventh District Court of Appeals also refused to block the Democratic law.