EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WMBD) — Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison issued a temporary restraining order against the assault weapon ban Friday.
According to the restraining order, the 866 plaintiffs do not have to abide by the assault weapons ban.
View the order here:
Gov. JB Pritzker has already released a response to this decision:
“This decision is not surprising. Although disappointing, it is the initial result we’ve seen in many cases brought by plaintiffs whose goal is to advance ideology over public safety. We are well aware that this is only the first step in defending this important legislation. I remain confident that the courts will uphold the constitutionality of Illinois’ law, which aligns with the eight other states with similar laws and was written in collaboration with lawmakers, advocates, and legal experts.
Illinoisans have a right to feel safe in their front yards, at school, while eating at bars and restaurants or celebrating with their family and friends. The Protect Illinois Communities Act takes weapons of war and mass destruction off the street while allowing law-abiding gun owners to retain their collections. I look forward to the next steps in this case and receiving the decision this case merits.”
JB Pritzker
Thomas DeVore released the following statement:
“The judge sees what’s going on in Springfield, the same way that my clients and I see it, which is the complete deterioration of the procedural requirements under the constitution of how we pass legislation, that gamesmanship, the gun and replace especially, has gotten to the point that we don’t even have a meaningful opportunity for citizens that might want to voice themselves to the legislature even happened. I mean, it’s almost becoming a matter of course now of how they pass these laws. And the judge made it clear the time for this stuff to end is now and so he found likelihood of success on all four of the issues that we raised.”
Anyone who is not a plaintiff still needs to abide by the assault weapons ban.
Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) released the following statement:
We passed the Protect Illinois Communities Act to get dangerous weapons off the street and create a safer state. This ruling will be appealed. We look forward to our day in court to zealously advocate for our neighbors who are weary of the gun violence epidemic.
Sen. Don Harmon
This story will be updated.
