Federal appeals panel rules Illinois assault weapons ban to be constitutional

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Illinois ban on assault weapons is constitutional.

The ban, called the Protect Illinois Communities Act, was passed and quickly signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in January 2023, in response to the Highland Park July 4th parade mass shooting that left seven people dead and 36 injured.

The shooter used a legally purchased semiautomatic weapon.

The law prohibits the sale of more than 100 kinds of semiautomatic firearms, and limits magazine capacities.

In a 2-1 opinion on Thursday, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling and upheld the ban. The panel ruled that the law is "consistent with our regulatory tradition," and does not violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has previously overturned other lower court rulings against the ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a legal challenge to a similar Cook County law in the fall.