An Effingham County judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Illinois’s new assault weapons ban, but for now the ruling only applies to over 800 plaintiffs who signed on to that case.
The lawsuit brought by attorney Thomas DeVore contends the new state law prohibiting the sale of assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines, and requiring existing assault weapons to be registered with the state, is an unconstitutional limit on the right to bear arms. 860 people signed on to DeVore’s complaint, and they are the only ones covered by the ruling that temporarily puts the law on hold.
Governor JB Pritzker issued a statement saying the ruling was “not surprising,” and suggested the plaintiffs were advancing “ideology over public safety.” Pritzker says he remains confident the weapons ban will ultimately be found to be constitutional.
