(USNewsMag.com) – The Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, was temporarily prevented on Friday from implementing a recently passed ban on specific semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines.
After former Republican candidate for attorney general Tom DeVore filed a lawsuit to overturn the statute, Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison issued a temporary restraining order against the gun restriction bill. The ordinance, which DeVore called an unabashed “attack on the constitutional rights of lawful gun owners across the state,” is being challenged by residents from 87 Illinois counties, according to a news release he issued.
Morrison’s decision only affects the four licensed gun dealers and the 850 plaintiffs identified in the Effingham County case.
Pritzker claimed that he was not shocked by the ruling and charged that in their attempt to overturn the statute, the plaintiffs had put “ideology over public safety.”
Pritzker stated that this is the beginning step in defending this crucial legislation. He said he “continues to believe that the courts will support the constitutionality of Illinois’ statute.” He said it is consistent with the laws of the eight other states that have enacted comparable legislation and was “drafted in consultation with lawmakers, advocates, and legal professionals.”
Morrison’s 11-page decision upheld the plaintiffs’ constitutional right to bear arms, guaranteed by the Illinois state and US constitutions.
The denial of a person’s fundamental right to bear arms causes “immediate and irreparable harm to the plaintiffs,” according to Morrison.
The judge noted a significant United States Supreme Court ruling from the previous year invalidating the concealed carry legislation in New York state. According to the 6-3 decision in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Second Amendment’s “plain wording” guaranteed the plaintiffs’ right to carry weapons for self-defense. The Illinois State Rifle Association, a pro-gun organization that brought a different federal lawsuit against the law control bill, praised Morrison’s decision.
“The court has made it abundantly evident that the General Assembly and Governor Pritzker inappropriately pushed this measure through. The ISRA is adamant that the statute violates the 2nd Amendment rights of all law-abiding citizens, “claimed the organization.
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