Naperville, Illinois, gun store owner Robert Bevis is asking the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to issue an injunction against the implementation of the state’s “assault weapons” ban.
Breitbart News noted that Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the “assault weapons” ban legislation on January 10, 2023.
The ban targets commonly owned semiautomatic rifles and requires those who already own such rifles to register them with the Illinois State Police.
Pritzker’s office released a statement upon his signing of the bill. The statement highlighted the registration requirement: “The new law also requires existing owners of semi-automatic rifles to register their ownership, ensuring that law enforcement knows the location of these weapons of war and who to hold accountable if they fall into the wrong hands.”
On January 15, 2023, Breitbart News pointed out that 80 Illinois sheriffs made clear they would not enforce the ban.
Edwards County Sheriff Darby Boewe released a statement, which said in part:
Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution. One of those rights enumerated is the right of the people to KEEP and BEAR ARMS provided under the 2nd Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people.
He referred to the semiautomatic rifle ban as “a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
Lawsuits have been filed against the ban at this point and, most recently, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall has upheld it.
Robert Bevis, owner of Law Weapons & Supply, is appealing Kendall’s ruling and is asking the 7th Circuit to issue an injunction against the ban while the appeal process is ongoing, NBC Chicago reported.
Bevis’ attorneys claim that the ban is ruining his gun store financially: “Cash reserves have been depleted, and as a result, [Law Weapons & Supply] has had to lay off employees and ask Bevis’ family to work without pay. Bevis has extended his personal credit, missed personal payments like home and car payments, maxed his credit limits, and taken out loans to pay the monthly bills.”
The attorneys added, “In short, [Law Weapons & Supply] will be put out of business if these laws are enforced.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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