“The Illinois Supreme Court today shredded our State Constitution by siding with JB Pritzker in its ruling to uphold the weapons ban law,” according to State Representative Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City).
In their ruling on DAN CAULKINS et al., Appellees, v. JAY ROBERT PRITZKER, in His Official Capacity as Governor of the State of Illinois, et al., the Court completely ignored the main point of the lawsuit which is the unequal application of the state’s FOID card through special legislation. The weapons ban law allows some FOID card holders to have firearms such as AR-15s but not others. The idea that a Constitutional right would be granted to some citizens but not others is on its face a violation of the Constitution.
“This decision was not about the law,” Wilhour said. “It was about politics. The Governor bought and paid for this decision with the millions of dollars he put into State Supreme Court races last year and he got the outcome he purchased.”
Wilhour said the law has been in effect since the beginning of the year and has not made any kind of impact on violence in the state. There have been 367 homicides so far this year in the City of Chicago.
“Where is the evidence this law has done anything to make communities safer?” Wilhour said. “The political class in this state continues to make rules for the entire state but is never held accountable for the failures of their policies. This law violates the Constitutional rights of honest citizens, and it does not even make a dent in curbing violence in our communities. The US Supreme Court will eventually weigh in and do what the Illinois Supreme Court lacked the courage to do which is to protect the rights of honest citizens.”