Federal appeals court upholds Illinois ban on semiautomatic weapons
A federal appeals court has upheld an Illinois law banning semiautomatic weapons, reversing a lower court's ruling that deemed the ban unconstitutional. The court determined the restrictions are consistent with historical firearm regulations and are a matter for elected representatives to decide.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a significant legal precedent for state-level gun control measures and is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld an Illinois ban on semiautomatic weapons, keeping in place a law passed largely in response to a deadly Independence Day parade shooting .
The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overturns a lower court decision that found the ban unconstitutional. The 2-1 appellate decision found that the Illinois law does not violate the Second Amendment, and its restrictions are “consistent with the principles that underpin our Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation.”
“Whether to adopt them is thus a decision reposed in our elected representatives, and we reverse,” the appeals court said.
The majority opinion also pushes back on claims made by the plaintiffs that semiautomatic weapons are not at fault for mass shootings.
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