Chicago, IL – Oral arguments were held today for the National Association for Gun Rights’ (NAGR) lawsuit against the Illinois Assault Weapons Ban, Bevis v. Naperville, at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Bevis v. Naperville was the first challenge to the Illinois Assault Weapons Ban to get to the 7th Circuit, and was expedited by the 7th Circuit in response to Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s consideration of NAGR’s motion for an injunction pending appeal.
“Today is just another step towards overturning Illinois’ unconstitutional law,” said Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun Rights. “Under Bruen, there is no doubt in my mind the days of Illinois’ Assault Weapons Ban are numbered, and the National Association for Gun Rights will not rest until rights of the people of the Prairie State are fully restored.”
The NAGR lawsuit argues the Illinois Assault Weapons Ban violates the 2022 Supreme Court decision handed down in the NYSRPA V. Bruen case, which stated gun control laws must find their justification in the history, text, and tradition of the Second Amendment.
“This law bans firearms that are in common use throughout the United States, including the most popular rifle in America. Our members are chomping at the bit to snuff out semi-auto bans across America. Putting an end to Illinois’ gun ban will be a great victory for the Second Amendment nationwide,” concluded Brown.
Following today’s hearing, NAGR issued the following statement:
“Our case is simple. Illinois’ semi-auto ban is a direct violation of the Second Amendment, and it cannot withstand the text, history, and tradition test imposed by the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling. We are hopeful that we will prevail at the Seventh Circuit, but we are prepared to fight all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, where we are confident of ultimately striking down this unconstitutional gun ban.”
The National Association for Gun Rights is the nation’s largest “no compromise” pro-gun organization, with 4.5 million
members nationwide.
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