SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — On Friday, a downstate judge announced a ruling that temporarily blocked the enforcement of the state's assault weapons ban.Â
Raymond McAfee, owner of The Piggy Bank Pawn and Guns, said within minutes of the injunction, customers were calling with questions about the new ruling. Many wanted to pawn guns they were holding on to or purchase guns that were regulated after the law was passed in January.
"We've started to sell guns and tell people that they can buy guns online and have them transferred from purchases online," said McAfee.Â
McAfee said it took hours of research, and calls to law enforcement and legal professionals to determine what he was allowed to sell. He said this is a process he has gotten used to as rulings have been contested in Macon and Effingham Counties, as well as statewide.Â
While the ban reduces the profits McAfee and his business can make, the process of looking for information is wasting his time as well.Â
"It's time consuming, it's costly and it's wasteful, you know, both on our time and our expenses, to have to jump through hoops when things are appearing from our point of view that they were unconstitutional to start with the way it all went down," said McAfee. "But we're going to follow what we're told to do by the powers that be."
McAfee said the Piggy Bank is one of one two or three stores that are selling weapons and ammunition that were banned by the Assault Weapons Ban in January.Â
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is expected to appeal the ruling to the US Court of Appeals 7th Circuit.Â
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