East Central Reporter

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) recently took to the House floor to decry the assault weapons ban passed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. 

She emphasized she will always fight for the Second Amendment.

“In Illinois, Gov. Pritzker signed an unconstitutional gun ban that violates the Second Amendment rights of my constituents," Miller said during her first speech on the House Floor in the 118th Congress. “Joe Biden and J.B. Pritzker's policies released dangerous criminals, defund the police and then they want to take our Second Amendment right to defend ourselves. I'm a proud member of the House Freedom Caucus and the House Second Amendment Caucus, and we are united in our opposition to these unconstitutional attacks on the rights of the American people. I will always stand for constitutional rights and protect our Second Amendment right in Congress.”

Miller received an A rating on the National Rifle Association’s candidate ranking,  and was given the group's endorsement in her bid for Congress.

As many as five million firearms and ten million magazines in the state have been prohibited under The Illinois law. 

At least 95 sheriffs in Illinois have said they will not enforce the ban on over 170 types of firearms. DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick told Chicago’s Morning Answer radio host Dan Proft that U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) called him about enforcement of the law and “got nasty.” 

Mendrick said in addition to being unconstitutional the law is ineffective. "There is absolutely nothing that we are doing or not doing that would make a mass shooting more accessible in DuPage County," Mendrick said. "In fact, I have asked on multiple occasions to increase penalties on all existing gun crimes, but it does not appear that they want to have that conversation.”

Gun rights advocates have begun litigation against the state claiming it is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Of the nine lawsuits filed, most have been moved to federal court. Local cases still under consideration include those brought by former GOP gubernatorial candidate and state senator Darren Bailey and State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur).

The 5th District Court of Appeals upheld Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison’s ruling, noting the law's unconstitutionality and issued a temporary restraining order. That means the restrictions brought about by the Protect Illinois Communities Act will not be applied to the 866 plaintiffs represented by Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore until it can be heard in court. 

In the wake of the Effingham County challenge, nearly 1,700 additional plaintiffs have signed onto the legal action. “We will see if the state wants to appeal. If not, we’ll work on getting this pursued to a final ruling so we can get to the merits of these issues, sooner rather than later,” DeVore, last year’s GOP candidate for attorney general, told The Center Square.