(The Center Square) – Thousands of plaintiffs are now covered by a temporary restraining order issued by judges in four separate lawsuits against Illinois’ “assault weapons” and magazine bans.
The ban on certain semi-automatic guns and magazine capacities has been in effect since January 10.
Four temporary restraining orders have been put in place, with the latest order being issued Friday in Effingham County.
Attorney Thomas DeVore, who secured the latest restraining order in state court, says of the three cases he has filed, 4,713 individual plaintiffs and 148 Federal Firearms Licensees from across the state are protected against enforcement.
A separate state-level case from Macon County resulted in a temporary restraining order for several named plaintiffs and the plaintiff association Law-Abiding Gun Owners of Macon County, which has around 2,100 members.
Named plaintiffs in the four separate cases with temporary restraining orders can buy and sell guns and magazines despite the state’s gun ban.
In the federal cases, Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearons said taxpayers are in a tough spot and it is aggravating.
“[The state is] defending the suit with our money and we’re suing them with our money so they don’t have anything to lose and of course we do, so we have to keep pressing forward just on the financial end of it,” Pearson told WMAY.
If the state is found in violation over the ban, Pearson said there must be more than a restoration of rights but doubts people will be made whole.
“The state has violated our civil rights, if we win, we get some of our money back,” Pearons said. “Of course they never pay you the whole amount.”
Pearson did not have much hope for one idea to hold people accountable for passing laws that violate rights.
“They can just keep doing that because they have unlimited funds,” Pearson said. “It’s really an unfair system as far as I’m concerned. I think it should be taken out of the peoples’ pocket who voted for it.”
The state was granted a delay to March 1 when it is to respond to the ISRA lawsuit in Illinois’ southern federal court district.
“The Protect Illinois Communities Act is an important tool in what must be a comprehensive approach to addressing gun violence throughout Illinois, and we remain committed to defending the statute’s constitutionality,” a spokesperson for Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office said.