Marion County State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth has joined 32 other Illinois counties in filing a ‘friend of the court’ brief asking the Illinois Supreme Court to strike down the state’s so-called Assault Weapons Ban passed in January during a lame-duck session and signed into law by the Governor.
Hudspeth says upon taking office, they took an oath to support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State of Illinois. He notes when a law conflicts with either of those constitutions, they are required to stand by their oaths and support the constitutions.
On March 3, Macon County Associate Judge Rodney S. Forbes ruled that the ban violates the equal protection and special-legislation clauses of the Illinois Constitution. Pritzker is appealing to the state Supreme Court.
The ban outlaws the sale or manufacture of several firearms labeled as “assault weapons” and certain attachments for firearms, along with .50-caliber rifles and .50-caliber cartridges. People who already own such items are allowed to keep them under the new law, but the owners of such weapons will be required to register them with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024.
Other area state attorneys joining the brief are Clinton, Effingham, Jefferson, Washington, and Wayne Counties.
