Illinois Suppressor Ownership Prohibition is Challenged in Court
Jose Nino
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On February 27, 2023, two Illinois men along with the Silencer Shop and the American Suppressor Association Foundation filed a 17–page lawsuit in federal court arguing that the state’s prohibition on suppressor ownership is a violation of the Second Amendment.
Several county and state officials, along with Attorney General Kwame Raoul are the defendants.
In 42 states, individuals can own suppressors. Illinois, on the other hand, is one of the few states that bans the devices.
“The American Suppressor Association Foundation has always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding Americans to possess and own suppressors,” Knox Williams, American Suppressor Association Foundation’s executive director, said to Guns.com. “After last summer’s Bruen ruling, we knew it was time to get to work on a case that would apply the Second Amendment’s protections to the States.”
Chris Eger of Guns.com noted that federal regulators have north of 2.6 million suppressors on file. However, only 3,297 suppressors are on file in Illinois. This low figure is owing to the fact that devices are limited to only federally licensed dealers and manufacturers, and law enforcement.
Save those exceptions, the possession of a suppressor can result in an individual earning seven years in Illinois prison.
Following the Bruen Supreme Court decision, the plaintiffs in this case believe the time is right to fight this ban in the courts .
“The standard of review laid out by the Supreme Court in its Bruen decision last summer requires Illinois to justify its ban on suppressor ownership by showing that the ban is consistent with ‘the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” stated Williams. “Since there has never been a nationwide ban on suppressor ownership, and since suppressors are neither dangerous nor unusual, we are confident that Illinois will not be able to justify its ban to the court.”
Fighting the suppressor ban in the courts is probably the only way for gun owners in Illinois to see any roll back of gun control. The Illinois state government is practically a one-party state under Democratic control. So there’s no conventional legislative means for pro-gun activists to repeal gun control.
In turn, going through the courts is the most viable option for gun owners in Illinois and other blue states to stick it to Gun Control Inc.
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