SE Illinois News

On Jan. 10, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 5471 into effect, which clarifies what high-capacity magazines are banned.

But a recent Effingham County court decision has led to a temporary halt on the firearm ban.

The legislation bans magazines holding more than 10 rounds for long guns and magazines with more than 15 rounds for handguns; the Illinois General Assembly website said. Additionally, KSDK reported that it bans the manufacture, sale and possession of dozens of types of guns. It does allow people to keep those types of guns if they already have them, but they must register them with the state.

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) was opposed to the signing of the bill and voiced his support for the court’s decision in a Facebook post.

“As I have stated from the first introduction of this firearms ban in early December, this sweeping attempt to ban firearms in common use and to force law-abiding citizens to register their weapons with the government in order to exercise their rights is unconstitutional,” he said in the post.

The congressman also issued a statement on his website.

“I strongly support the decision and am encouraged by today’s temporary restraining order entered in Effingham County," Windhorst said in the statement. "We know this case will likely be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court. This law was also challenged this week in federal court by the Illinois State Rifle Association. I would encourage 2nd Amendment supporters to stay up to date on further court actions.”

The legislation is called the “Protect Illinois Community Act,” and WLS reported that it went into effect immediately after it was signed. The act was amended by the House before being signed by Pritzker. Then on Jan. 20, Judge Joshua Morrison granted a temporary restraining order against the law.

Attorney Thomas DeVore brought the lawsuit on behalf of 866 plaintiffs, KSDK said. Among the plaintiffs was Effingham’s own Accuracy Firearms LLC.

Devore shared the restraining order documents on his law office website; including a list of all 866 plaintiffs, a hearing notice and a copy of the restraining order. The documents can be found at drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gNVpIFcVqjf7fyMTMaEwF4urU0VvGafo.