East Central Reporter

State Representative Adam Niemerg shared an update on the legal status of the firearms ban in Illinois through a Facebook post on November 8. He said, "The judge issued an order barring the state from enforcing the ban, however, that order has been stayed for 30 days."

"BREAKING: A federal judge in East St. Louis has found Democrats' firearms ban unconstitutional," said Adam M Niemerg, State Representative for 102nd District (R), according to Facebook. "The judge issued an order barring the state from enforcing the ban, however, that order has been stayed for 30 days."

According to Niemerg's post, he linked to an article from The Center Square detailing federal Judge Stephen McGlynn's decision regarding the Protect Illinois Communities Act. This act banned automatic weapons and certain magazines. In January 2023, the sale and possession of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines with specific capacities were prohibited. Four cases related to this law were consolidated in the Southern District of Illinois federal court last spring. In April 2023, after a preliminary injunction against the law was appealed by the state, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stayed McGlynn’s order before ruling in favor of the state.

Screenshot of State Representative Adam NIemerg's Nov. 8 Facebook post | State Representative Adam Niemerg Facebook page

When these cases returned to McGlynn’s courtroom, he conducted a four-day bench trial and issued his final judgment on November 8. "The Court is also not convinced that weapons like the AR-15 and its relatives are ‘dangerous and unusual,'" wrote McGlynn. He further explained that these devices are in common use with legitimate self-defense purposes and concluded that none of the weapons or attachments prohibited by PICA could be considered 'military-grade' as they were not issued for military combat use.

A subsequent article from The Center Square on November 13 provided updates on this issue, including comments from Governor J.B. Pritzker. "What we passed frankly is reasonable," said Pritzker. He emphasized that no one's guns are being taken away as some Republicans claim but rather that efforts are focused on maintaining safety without exacerbating existing issues.

Niemerg was first elected in 2020 and describes himself as a "fiscal conservative focused on reducing taxes and fighting for limited government and pension reform," according to his official biography. He works as a senior claims adjuster with Country Financial and holds a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University.