This morning, Guns Save Life, working with a coalition now known as the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance filed suit in federal court to block J.B. Pritzker’s so-called “Protect Illinois Communities” gun ban. Recall just about two short weeks ago Senate President Don Harmon said, “Well see you in court” as the Senate voted to pass the measure. Well, at the time we said his terms were acceptable. And here we are.
Our coalition, which includes Guns Save Life, Gun Owners of America, FFL-IL, the Aurora Sportsman’s Club, State Line Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Law Center and others seeks to dismantle the onerous new Illinois law that bans America’s favorite rifle, the AR-15 and millions of other semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols along with the magazines that feed them.
The so-called “Protect Illinois Communities Act” even criminalizes possession of gun parts like flash suppressors, muzzle brakes and collapsible stocks with felony charges.
Thanks to an outpouring of support and donations from gun owners, dealers, manufacturers and others, we have hired three legal teams, two outstanding firms here in Illinois with experience in firearms regulations and litigation and a nationally-known team in California headed by Chuck Michele.
Meanwhile, the man tasked with defending the State of Illinois has had a bad run this past month. Beleaguered Attorney General Kwame Raoul has lost a host of high profile cases lately. Raoul’s staff failed to defend the new “No Cash Bail” provisions of the so-called SAFE-T Act at the first of the year. Last week, a judge blocked enforcement of the new gun ban law for 866 plaintiffs in a state lawsuit. Meanwhile the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a ruling against gun ownership in foster homes and at home daycares in federal district court.
What’s more, Raoul had one of his attorneys quit early last week and then two more quit last Friday. Now some will say losing three attorneys from a semi-competent government legal office stands as a good start. However, Kwame the Not-So-Magnificent still has about 447 lawyers left, plus himself. Which means they have about 447 attorneys.
So today, in the Southern District Federal Court of Illinois, the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance (ILGRA) filed the first of likely several lawsuits aimed at dismantling J.B. Pritzker’s crown jewel of gun control, the so-called “Protect Illinois Communities Act.”
Here’s the press release.
Yorkville, IL (January 24, 2023) – Members of the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance (ILGRA) today filed a federal lawsuit challenging the recently adopted Protect Illinois Communities Act, alleging it to be an infringement on the constitutionally protected activity of Illinois sportsmen, firearms retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, and lawful users of firearms. Defendants are Governor Pritzker, Attorney General of Illinois Kwame Raoul, and Brendan H. Kelly, Director of the Illinois State Police.
Named plaintiffs in this action are:
Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, Inc – the Dealers’ association
Guns Save Life – an Illinois-based, grassroots gun rights organization
Gun Owners of America – a national grassroots gun rights organization
Three private citizens
One local dealer“We are, or represent, members and supporters who are law-abiding Illinois residents who seek to purchase, sell, and protect themselves, and/or their homes and families with firearms owned and in common use by millions of Americans for self-defense,” the complaint begins.
“We began with the so-called ‘Assault Weapons’ ban,” said Mandi Sano, FFL-IL spokesman. “As the Governor and General Assembly gleefully strip law-abiding Illinois retailers and gun-owners of their gun rights, property rights, and privacy, we will not stand by. We will act.”
“Our group has said all along that we will not help the State craft a ‘better bill,’ we will not provide subject-matter expertise, and that if the State wishes to read our opinions, it may do so in the complaint,” added FFL-IL President Dan Eldridge.
John Boch, Executive Director of Guns Save Life, Inc. holds that, “the so-called Protect Illinois Communities Act does nothing to actually protect Illinois communities. Its only effect is to criminalize law-abiding gun owners. The General Assembly should instead be holding criminals accountable for violent crimes.”
The measure remains broadly unpopular, sparking a surge in purchases before the Act’s effective date and drawing the opposition of more than 80 of the state’s 102 sheriffs.
“The Supreme Court has reset the table by striking down New York’s concealed carry ‘may-issue’ law and along with it magazine limits in California and New Jersey, and Maryland’s ‘assault weapons’ ban. We seek immediate state-wide relief from enforcement of this unconstitutional law and look forward to prevailing in federal court,” concluded Ms. Sano.
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