Pritzker: "Very Confident" Assault Weapons Ban Will Hold Up in Court
Gov. JB Pritzker defended the state’s assault weapon ban enacted last week.
As the first federal lawsuit has been filed questioning the constitutionality of the state’s new assault rifle ban, Governor JB Pritzker said Thursday he’s “very confident” the law will survive legal challenges.
In a call with media Thursday from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Pritzker said he believes the new law, banning the sale of assault rifles and of magazines larger than 15 rounds will hold up in court.
“The state has a lot of experience litigating over legislation or actions that a small minority oppose,” Pritzker said. “We know that it will sometimes, unfortunately, take time in the courts to present all of our arguments and get the right result. I’m very confident that the courts, ultimately, will uphold the constitutionality of the laws that we have passed.”
Pritzker criticized opponents for political posturing.
“Just because someone goes on FOX News or stands up and gives a speech on the floor and says that they’ve talked to lawyers and they believe it’s unconstitutional, that isn’t definitive of whether anything is constitutional or not,” he said, likely referring to recent TV appearances by Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City). (Pritzker, by the way, went on MSNBC to celebrate passage of the law.) “It really needs to go through the court system.”
He also characterized opponents to the law as being “beholden'“ to the gun lobby.
“There’s a lot of political grandstanding going on by people who are beholden to the gun lobby and who are not focused on the safety of their constituents, but rather, focused on just making political pronouncements that they think might have a positive effect for them with the constituents that they’re playing to,” Pritzker said. “I’m committed to protecting Illinoisans from the constant fear that they’re under of being gunned down in a place of worship or at a school or in their neighborhood.”
An Effingham County judge is expected to rule Friday on a request for a court order stopping the law from being instituted, but the real action is expected in federal court, where multiple suits are expected challenging the law based on the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
