The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a petition to block assault weapon bans, siding with Democrat-backed restrictions on certain types of semiautomatic rifles and magazines.
The court order, issued on Dec. 14, denied an emergency application for a writ of injunction that sought to freeze the ban on specific weapons in Illinois. The restrictions, which fall under the Protect Illinois Communities Act, prohibit the general public from owning weapons like the AR-15 and ammunition magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds.
The National Association for Gun Rights, along with gun store owner Robert Bevis, filed an emergency petition, which was rejected at the end of November after a lower court denied their bid for a preliminary injunction against the statewide ban.
Hannah Hill, the executive director of the National Association for Gun Rights, expressed disappointment with the decision but indicated the organization would continue to fight for its members.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act into law in early 2023, welcomed the latest decision from the Supreme Court. He described it as a historic win for Illinois communities and families, despite the absence of a decision on the merits of the case, as it was merely a denial of emergency injunctive relief.
In January 2023, Pritzker approved the Protect Illinois Communities Act, banning the sale and distribution of many types of high-powered semiautomatic firearms such as the AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, along with magazines carrying more than 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns.
The only exceptions are for “trained professionals,” including law enforcement officers, and people who already owned the guns before the law took effect in January 2024.
Pritzker’s decision followed a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, where a man used an AR-15-style rifle to kill seven people and injure many others. The governor touted the ban as one of the “strongest assault weapons bans” in the United States, saying it would stop the spread of such firearms.
The National Association for Gun Rights filed suit to block the law, arguing that it covered firearms commonly possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, including self-defense. However, a district court rejected the plaintiffs’ request, and a divided three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit also refused to halt the ban.
According to a report by U.S. Circuit Judge Diane Wood, the plaintiffs needed to prove that the weapons banned under the Illinois law “are arms that ordinary people would keep at home for purposes of self-defense,” in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022.
The appeals court judges agreed that the firearms banned by the Illinois law, such as assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, are more closely related to military-grade weaponry than to firearms often used for individual self-defense.
Despite the objections, the Supreme Court decision marks a significant development in the ongoing debate over gun control laws in the United States.
