Illinois Supreme Court plans to rule on semiautomatic weapons ban

By JOHN O’CONNOR
AP Political Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court plans to issue an opinion Friday on the state’s ban of the type of semiautomatic weapons used in hundreds of mass killings nationally, including the Independence Day 2022 shooting that killed seven and injured dozens in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. The lawsuit, filed by a Republican state representative and like-minded gun-owners, alleged that the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. But it also claims the law is applied unequally. The law bans dozens of specific brands or types of rifles and handguns, .50-caliber guns, attachments and rapid-firing devices. The most popular of the guns targeted is the AR-15 rifle.