Supreme Court lets Illinois ban on semiautomatic weapons stand for now

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to put on hold a new Illinois law that would ban high-power semiautomatic weapons.

The plaintiffs seeking to overturn the law - gun shop owner Robert Bevis and the National Association for Gun Rights - argue that the legislation is unconstitutional. The plaintiffs have so far been unsuccessful in challenging the new law in state and federal courts.

While they pursue another appeal to the Supreme Court - which has taken an expansive view of gun rights in the US in recent years - they asked the top court justices for a temporary halt in the law's enforcement.

The court denied that request on Thursday without giving a reason, as is customary.

The law prohibits the possession, manufacture or sale of semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. It takes effect Jan. 1.

Last month, a three-judge panel of the 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals voted 2-1 in favor of the law, refusing a request by gun rights groups to block it. The Illinois Supreme Court separately upheld the law on a 4-3 decision in August.

Several cases challenging those laws are making their way through the federal courts, relying at least in part on the Supreme Court's decision in 2022 that expanded gun rights.

The Protect Illinois Communities Act bans dozens of specific brands or types of rifles and handguns, including the popular AR-15, .50-caliber guns, attachments and rapid-firing devices. No rifle will be allowed to accommodate more than 10 rounds, with a 15-round limit for handguns.

Those who own such guns and accessories when the law was enacted have to register them, including serial numbers, with the Illinois State Police. That process began Oct. 1. As of November, it was reported that less than one percent of Illinois FOID card owners had complied.



(AP File photo)