Time is running out for Illinois firearm owners who possess certain assault weapons. A federal judge has decided not to delay the January 1 deadline for registering those guns under the state's expansive ban. U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn refused to issue an injunction that gun advocacy groups requested, a move which keeps the new law's wheels turning amidst ongoing legal battles, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
By declining the stay, McGlynn has signaled that any constitutional challenges to the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) must wait for another day. "This Court will expeditiously conduct a full review of the legal challenges to PICA on the merits," McGlynn wrote in his 34-page order. A statement obtained by ABC 7 Chicago detailed McGlynn's emphasis on swift litigation, suggesting that further delay would only complicate the issues at hand.
Gun rights groups like the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois have labeled the registration process unclear and argued that the state failed to adequately notify owners of the January 1 deadline. However, the Illinois attorney general's office maintained that they had met all legal obligations for public notification, a point underscored by three public hearings and notifications included in the legislation passed nearly a year ago.
Despite the pushback, records dating from December 21 show that 8,143 gun owners have already registered close to 15,900 firearms and about 8,350 firearm-related accessories under the new statute. This accounts for approximately 0.34% of the state's 2.4 million firearm owner’s identification cardholders, according to the Chicago Tribune’s findings. The compliance figure, though fractional, is telling of a landscape where change, albeit contentious, is taking root. Registration began on October 1 and is widely considered a central pillar of the state's efforts to curb gun violence, spurred by mass shootings like the tragic event in Highland Park on July 4, 2022.
Looking ahead, the state is gearing up for an enduring legal scuffle, as Dan Eldridge, president of the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, told the Chicago Tribune: "There's a lot of stuff in motion in here." The battle over PICA may continue to play out not just in state courts, but also at the federal level, potentially raising questions that could extend to the U.S. Supreme Court.
