Over 70 Illinois Counties Will Not Enforce State’s “Assault Weapons” Ban
Jose Nino
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Ever since Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed an “assault weapons” ban on January 10, 2023, this legislative act has been met with considerable resistance from rural counties across the state.
Per a report by ABC News, 74 sheriff’s departments publicly announced that they will not implement this ban on the grounds that it violates the Second Amendment.
The legislation in question would prohibit the distribution and sale of “assault weapons,” high-capacity magazines, and switches in Illinois. Individuals who already own such firearms are expected to register them with Illinois State Police by January 1, 2024.
Edwards County Sheriff Darby Boewe issued a statement highlighting how it’s his duty to protect the right to keep and bear arms.
“The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty, and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people,” Boewe stated. “Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement officer for Edwards County, that neither myself or my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing individuals that have been charged solely with noncompliance of this act.”
Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk drafted the statement per the ABC News report. The statement was sent out to other sheriff’s departments to use or be edited if they chose to do so.
DuPage, Sangamon, and Iroquois counties are several of the 74 departments that have issued similar statements that have been edited. Iroquois County Sheriff Clinton Perzee vowed to not use his jails to detain people exercising their God-given right to self-defense, per a report by the Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
During an event at Quincy on January 12, Pritzker stressed that law enforcement must enforce the law or leave their jobs altogether.
“They took an oath of office to uphold the law. As law enforcement, that’s their job, and I expect them to do that job,” Pritzker declared at the event.
Several counties have already established themselves as “Second Amendment sanctuary cities,” which Pritzker scoffed at the Quincy event.
“You can have all the resolutions and declarations that you want. The reality is that the laws that are on the books, you don’t get to choose which ones people are going to follow,” Pritzker proclaimed.
Illinois’ state legislature is beyond repair. As a result, gun owners have to use cities and counties to revolt against gun control passed at the state level. Per Guns & Ammo magazine’s rankings for best states for gun owners, Illinois was ranked in 39th place.
Overall, the state is an anti-gun safe space, so gun owners will have to get creative with lawfare, nullification, and civil disobedience to restore some semblance of the Second Amendment in the state.
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