Weekend Edition | Ruling on Illinois’ Gun Ban Expected Sometime After Monday

A ruling on whether Illinois’ gun and magazine ban is unconstitutional is expected to come sometime after Monday. Illinois banned the sale and possession of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities during lame duck session of the Illinois General Assembly in January 2023. Federal lawsuits were then filed against the law. Southern District of Illinois federal Judge Stephen McGlynn gave litigants in the consolidated case a month to file final briefs when he wrapped up the four-day bench trial last month. He closed out the trial in East St. Louis, questioning what would have been different from the 1917 race riot in that city if the Black victims were able to protect themselves with the very firearms being debated.