Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook / Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook / Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Republicans claim Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker entrapped citizens who bought certain semi-automatic firearms during the six-day window when the state’s gun ban was blocked by a federal court.
One of the criticisms comes from State Sen. Jason Plummer, who claims that when the Southern District of Illinois federal court enjoined the state from enforcing the law, the Pritzker administration failed to release any guidance for gun owners in the state to remain in compliance with the law, according to a report in The Center Square.
“What the law says is that as of Jan. 1 of 2024, people will need to fill out the affidavit that they have one of those guns,” Pritzker said. “That’s really all it is. There’s nobody going after anybody, but that’s really what the law says.”
An Illinois State Police statement echoed calls from the governor for citizens to disclose certain firearms. With the issue still running through the state's court system, as of now any person found to be in violation of having a banned firearm could face a Class A misdemeanor, and gun dealers could face felony charges for their involvement in the situation.
Plummer's office was recently flooded with calls from constituents seeking clarity on these issues.
“We’re going to introduce the legislation and this legislation is going to merely provide peace of mind to law-abiding gun owners in the state of Illinois who have been exercising their Second Amendment rights that they will not be attacked by the state of Illinois, they will not be penalized by the state of Illinois, for doing what they were told they could do by the court of law," Plummer said.
Alerts Sign-up