Third restraining order issued against Illinois gun ban

The latest restraining order was issued in Macon County on Wednesday. Last week, a judge in White County issued the second restraining order against the weapons ban, which applied to 1,690 citizens who filed the lawsuit.

Last month, a judge in Effingham County issued the first restraining order, which affected 866 citizens.

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the law on January 10th in response to the shooting deaths of seven at the Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, where 30 were also injured.

The law bans the sale or possession of more than 170 semi-automatic guns and requires current owners of the weapons to register with the state police by January 1st, 2024.

Many county sheriff’s across the state say they will not enforce the ban, as it conflicts with the 2nd, 5th, and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which grants citizens the right to bear arms, the right against self-incrimination, and the right to equal protection under the law.

Proponents of the law have labeled the guns as “assault weapons,” but gun shop owners have argued that true assault weapons – those used by the U.S. military – are already illegal. They are fully automatic machine guns like the M16 and the AK47, which were banned by the federal government in 1986.

Several lawsuits have been filed against Illinois over the ban, and are proceeding through the judicial system.

Three federal lawsuits, including those filed by the National Rifle Association and the Illinois State Rifle Association, allege the ban contradicts the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

So far, most of the suits are by people who currently own the guns affected by the new law.