Governor disagrees with judge's ruling regarding guns on public transportation

[September 04, 2024]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he is confident that an appeals court will overrule a federal judge's decision that a portion of Illinois’ concealed carry law is unconstitutional.

A federal judge in Rockford ruled that it is unconstitutional for Illinoisans with concealed carry permits to be prohibited from carrying guns on public transportation. The decision was a result of a lawsuit filed by four people who argued the section of Illinois’ concealed carry law that forbids holders of concealed carry licenses from carrying guns on public transportation violated their Second Amendment right to self defense.

U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston ruled that Illinois' ban on carrying concealed weapons on public transit does not meet the U.S. Supreme Court standard displayed in its June 2022 ruling in the case known as New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. In that ruling, the court struck down a New York law that placed strict restrictions on carrying concealed firearms in public for self defense.

“Unfortunately many of the conservative judges who have been appointed have misunderstood what it means to uphold public safety,” Pritzker said Tuesday at an unrelated event in Skokie.

Johnston's ruling applies only to the four named plaintiffs in the case, so it does not strike down the ban on carrying concealed weapons on public transit in Illinois, but could lead to an injunction blocking enforcement of the law statewide.

The group behind the lawsuit called it a win.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Democratic National Convention | YouTube

"This is a significant victory for legally armed Illinois residents who rely on public transit," said Second Amendment Foundation founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. "It is important that the court recognized Cook County Attorney Foxx's argument that the ban was legal because Illinois is acting as a property owner was 'breathtaking, jaw dropping and eye popping,' and that wasn’t a compliment. It demonstrates how far government will reach in an attempt to justify its effort to restrict Second Amendment rights."

The decision comes just as a suspect is facing charges for allegedly murdering four people on a CTA train in Forest Park.

“It will be disappointing if they uphold this but I’m hopeful that the law that was passed in Illinois a number of years ago that’s done a lot to keep people safe will be upheld,” said Pritzker.

Illinois was the last state to adopt a concealed carry law, which went into effect ten years ago and included a number of places where permit holders were not allowed to carry guns, such as hospitals and public transportation.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, one of the defendants in the case, had not indicated as of Tuesday if he planned to appeal the decision.

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