CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled Cook County’s taxes on guns and ammunition violate the state constitution.
In a decision Thursday, the court says the taxes “directly burden a law-abiding citizen’s” second amendment right to buy the items for self-defense.
Illinois’ largest county approved the $25 tax on the retail purchase of a firearm within the county in 2012. In 2015, Cook County approved a tax ranging from 1 cents to 5 cents per cartridge of ammunition.
A gun-rights organization, Guns Save Life, sued the county, saying the tax violated the second amendment. A Cook County spokesman says they are disappointed in the ruling and will work to determine the next steps.
