Robert Bevis, the owner of a gun store in Naperville, Illinois, is requesting that the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals impose an injunction blocking the enforcement of the state’s “assault weapons” ban.
On January 10, 2023, Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) signed legislation banning “assault weapons,” according to Breitbart News.
The Illinois State Police must be notified of any semiautomatic weapons that a person already has because they must be registered in order to be exempt from the ban.
In response to Pritzker’s signing of the legislation, his administration issued a statement. The next quote from the statement emphasized the registration requirement: “The new legislation also requires current semi-automatic rifle owners to register their ownership, ensuring that law enforcement knows the whereabouts of these weapons of mass destruction as well as who to hold responsible if they end up in the wrong hands.”
Breitbart News noted that 80 sheriffs in Illinois made it plain they will not implement the prohibition on January 15, 2023.
Sheriff Darby Boewe of Edwards County said the following in a statement:
“Protecting the liberties that the Constitution grants to each and every one of us is one of the responsibilities I assumed when I took office. The right of the people to KEEP and BEAR ARMS guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment is one of the rights listed. People consider the right to keep and carry arms for the protection of their lives, liberties, and property to be an inalienable right.”
He described the restriction on semiautomatic weapons as “a flagrant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment.”
At this time, lawsuits have been brought up against the restriction, but most recently, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall upheld it.
According to NBC Chicago, Robert Bevis, the proprietor of Law Weapons & Supply, is appealing Kendall’s decision and is requesting that the 7th Circuit impose an injunction against the prohibition while the appeal is being processed.
According to Bevis’ lawyers, the prohibition is financially hurting his gun shop: “Cash reserves have been drained, and as a result, Law Weapons & Supply has been forced to lay off staff and ask Bevis’ family to labor without compensation. Bevis has exceeded his credit limits, stretched his personal credit, missed personal obligations like mortgage and auto payments, and took out loans to pay the bills on time.”
“In sum, Law Weapons & Supply will be forced out of business if these laws are applied,” the attorneys continued.
