MACON, Ill. (WAND) – A federal judge triggered a new debate on a California ban on so-called assault weapons that could open the door for 2nd amendment advocates to push for action by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The judge overturned the states 32-year ban on the weapons calling guns like the AR-15 fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles and compared them to a Swiss Army knife. Gun owners are hopeful the judges ruling will spillover to other states looking to tighten gun control.
“This is going to turn things upside down if it sticks,” Dan Cooley, owner of The Bullet Trap in Macon, told WAND News. “It’s a shame we have to go to the courts to do this. We can’t stop it in the legislature through debate and settlement and compromise. But that seems to be an impossibility any longer. So it has to be done in the courts.” Illinois has seen a number of gun control bills being introduced in the legislature in recent years.
The goal is to get gun cases to the U.S. Supreme Court which has a more conservative tilt since the Trump Administration. The court has already said it will hear a New York case this year where gun advocates seek to end restrictions on guns being carried outside of the home.
