The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) and Illinois gun retailer Law Weapons & Supply, along with its owner Robert Bevis, have approached the US Supreme Court to halt the implementation of Illinois’s prohibition on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. This request materializes soon after an appeals court endorsed the law, which was previously refused to be blocked by the Supreme Court in May. The current lawsuit also challenges a local-level gun regulation in Naperville, Illinois.
NAGR and Bevis argue that the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) infringes on the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and should be invalidated. They contend that the act is unconstitutional as it bans weapons and ammunition commonly used for legal purposes by millions of law-abiding citizens. They have petitioned the court to issue a preliminary injunction to block the enforcement of the law during the appeals process.
The parties are leveraging the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which overturned a New York gun permit law and established stricter guidelines for state legislatures to constitutionally regulate gun ownership. NAGR and Bevis have argued that lower courts have disregarded this caution, effectively violating the Supreme Court’s rules to uphold firearm regulations.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed PICA into law back in January 2023, which restricts the sale and manufacture of assault weapon attachments, .50 caliber cartridges, any .50 caliber rifle, and certain pistols. It specifies an assault rifle as any rifle carrying more than 15 rounds of ammunition and also bans pistols with a capacity exceeding 10 rounds. Under PICA, those already in possession of the newly banned weapons were required to report ownership to the state government by October 1.
PICA was signed into law following a deadly mass shooting in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park during the city’s 2022 Fourth of July parade. The horrifying event resulted in the deaths of seven people and injuries to numerous others, leading to shockwaves across the state and country.
Notably, PICA has been subject to other legal challenges. An Illinois state judge had deemed PICA unconstitutional, although this ruling was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in August.