This morning, Guns Save Life, working with a coalition now known as the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance filed suit in federal court to block J.B. Pritzker’s so-called “Protect Illinois Communities” gun ban. Recall just about two short weeks ago Senate President Don Harmon said, “Well see you in court” as the Senate voted to pass the measure. Well, at the time we said his terms were acceptable. And here we are.
Our coalition, which includes Guns Save Life, Gun Owners of America, FFL-IL, the Aurora Sportsman’s Club, State Line Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Law Center and others seeks to dismantle the onerous new Illinois law that bans America’s favorite rifle, the AR-15 and millions of other semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols along with the magazines that feed them.
The so-called “Protect Illinois Communities Act” even criminalizes possession of gun parts like flash suppressors, muzzle brakes and collapsible stocks with felony charges.
Thanks to an outpouring of support and donations from gun owners, dealers, manufacturers and others, we have hired three legal teams, two outstanding firms here in Illinois with experience in firearms regulations and litigation and a nationally-known team in California headed by Chuck Michele.
Meanwhile, the man tasked with defending the State of Illinois has had a bad run this past month. Beleaguered Attorney General Kwame Raoul has lost a host of high profile cases lately. Raoul’s staff failed to defend the new “No Cash Bail” provisions of the so-called SAFE-T Act at the first of the year. Last week, a judge blocked enforcement of the new gun ban law for 866 plaintiffs in a state lawsuit. Meanwhile the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a ruling against gun ownership in foster homes and at home daycares in federal district court.
What’s more, Raoul had one of his attorneys quit early last week and then two more quit last Friday. Now some will say losing three attorneys from a semi-competent government legal office stands as a good start. However, Kwame the Not-So-Magnificent still has about 447 lawyers left, plus himself. Which means they have about 447 attorneys.
So today, in the Southern District Federal Court of Illinois, the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance (ILGRA) filed the first of likely several lawsuits aimed at dismantling J.B. Pritzker’s crown jewel of gun control, the so-called “Protect Illinois Communities Act.”
Here’s the press release.
Yorkville, IL (January 24, 2023) – Members of the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance (ILGRA) today filed a federal lawsuit challenging the recently adopted Protect Illinois Communities Act, alleging it to be an infringement on the constitutionally protected activity of Illinois sportsmen, firearms retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, and lawful users of firearms. Defendants are Governor Pritzker, Attorney General of Illinois Kwame Raoul, and Brendan H. Kelly, Director of the Illinois State Police.
Named plaintiffs in this action are:
Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, Inc – the Dealers’ association
Guns Save Life – an Illinois-based, grassroots gun rights organization
Gun Owners of America – a national grassroots gun rights organization
Three private citizens
One local dealer“We are, or represent, members and supporters who are law-abiding Illinois residents who seek to purchase, sell, and protect themselves, and/or their homes and families with firearms owned and in common use by millions of Americans for self-defense,” the complaint begins.
“We began with the so-called ‘Assault Weapons’ ban,” said Mandi Sano, FFL-IL spokesman. “As the Governor and General Assembly gleefully strip law-abiding Illinois retailers and gun-owners of their gun rights, property rights, and privacy, we will not stand by. We will act.”
“Our group has said all along that we will not help the State craft a ‘better bill,’ we will not provide subject-matter expertise, and that if the State wishes to read our opinions, it may do so in the complaint,” added FFL-IL President Dan Eldridge.
John Boch, Executive Director of Guns Save Life, Inc. holds that, “the so-called Protect Illinois Communities Act does nothing to actually protect Illinois communities. Its only effect is to criminalize law-abiding gun owners. The General Assembly should instead be holding criminals accountable for violent crimes.”
The measure remains broadly unpopular, sparking a surge in purchases before the Act’s effective date and drawing the opposition of more than 80 of the state’s 102 sheriffs.
“The Supreme Court has reset the table by striking down New York’s concealed carry ‘may-issue’ law and along with it magazine limits in California and New Jersey, and Maryland’s ‘assault weapons’ ban. We seek immediate state-wide relief from enforcement of this unconstitutional law and look forward to prevailing in federal court,” concluded Ms. Sano.
Well this was a pleasant surprise when I checked back in this morning period with news like this I’m gonna have to do this more often
Outstanding! Time to get this party started and put an end to this unconstitutional gun-grab here in the People’s Republic of Illinois.
To bad I don’t have the 200 dollars to pay you so I can get my God given rights back
More pay for play from the lowlife shiy balls in illinois
I gess the half million that Douche bag DeVore received from illinois gun owners wasn’t enough
You should try seeing the bigger picture here instead of being such a little douchebag on every thread. It takes money to defeat communists in court. Do you expect them to work pro bono to get this overturned?
Do what YOU can Joe, Why the snide deprecation about those who ARE doing something? The funds have to come from somewhere, what Rights group are you affiliated with? Write a letter to your local paper at the very least or organize a march on the governor’s office to protest, WHAT IS YOUR MEATHOD TO OVERTURN THE “LAW”?
what are you talking about. this lawsuit cost you zero to benefit from. though a donation no matter how small would be helpful.
DeVore is going at it in state Court in a different direction and you expect him to do it for free ?
By the time his is over he will have used a lot of resources for his clients
There is a state rep from Decatur that is using DeVore’s blueprint and he will accept donations to put you in that case
This is great news! Its going to take time for the courts to work, so we can all get our rights back. We need to be patient and not make snide, childish remarks. All that does is divide us and that’s exactly what the liberals want. We are stronger together!!!
What is the status of the FOID Card litigation? Is this being addressed in these lawsuits? This is very important, as an enumerated right should not require a licensed approval.
Perhaps Senator Harmon will be so busy in court he won’t have time for any more cockamamie laws being drafted up. And after it is over I would love to see the loser pick up the tab for all of it.
THANK YOU IGRA, for getting and being prepared for the lawsuits to retain our constitutionally protected Rights! I hope shutting down these “assault politicians” will resonate across the country to dissuade a national attempt as well as the anti-constitution low-lifes in ILL-Annoy. My finances are very limited but I proudly maintain my GSL membership and enjoy going to monthly meetings when able to. I have written a letter to the editor of Champaign News Gazette, published in Sunday’s (1-22-2023) on-line and printed versions, about the unconstitutionality of the “law”. Stand and Support the organizations fighting for our Rights or watch as politicians try to destroy our Representive Republic!
oops, “representative” Republic.
Will all members of GSL be considered plaintiffs in this case? I’m wondering since in the Effingham case, the TRO only applied to the “Plaintiffs named in the case”.
I’ve been waiting for this! Now, any chance you could post the suit? Thank God for Kwame Raoul. We could have had a good attorney general instead of an opportunistic political hack!
We need to open up as many fronts we can! The Libtards in Highland Park and Naperville merged their lawsuits with the Cook-County AWB lawsuit in the NE District so that they wouldn’t lose. That case will drag on for another year. We’ll be lucky to stop the registry by 2024! I sure hope we can! I am moving to Mo by this summer!
I will still send money your way,
Jim Gardner
Our lawsuit covers everyone in Illinois.
That’s Great, JBooch. I am done with the tyranny of Illinois. I believe that WE will eventually win, but getting a permanent injunction could require going to En Banc hearing (if we get a bad draw of 3 the first round) at the 7 th circuit and doing this the by January 1, 2024, is hopeful—-but cutting it very close! I have decided that the safest thing for me is to leave this state! These libbiscuts will do everything to delay the case: to find a historian, more time to reply to a brief, more time to pick through their lint hair of their belly button in their panic room, etc! Some of those tactics will be successful…
Warmest Regards,
Jim Sodo Gardner
Whoo hoo! Where have I been? I just saw this!
I heard last night that ‘Story of My Life’ Kwame is trying to get all the lawsuits consolidated. He’s even more pathetic than I believed, if he thinks that is going to fly. From what I have seen so far, the lawsuits appear to interlock fairly nicely, attacking different aspects of the ‘kitchen sink’ approach to gun control HB5471 uses.
Kwame needs to defend every single one of these lawsuits as a separate action. There is no reason to make his life easier because he doesn’t have the stones to tell Prickster and the GA that defending unconstitutional law is a waste of time. They were all warned what would happen if they persisted in passing this crap – now they can reap the whirlwind.