Seventh Circuit Upholds Illinois Assault Weapons Ban

A federal appeals court upheld Illinois' ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines on Thursday, July 9, 2026, overturning a lower court's ruling that the law was unconstitutional. The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit found the state's restrictions consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation, delivering a significant, though potentially temporary, victory to state officials and gun control advocates.

The ruling centers on the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law in January 2023. The legislation bans the sale and purchase of a wide range of semiautomatic firearms, including AR-15-style rifles, along with large-capacity magazines and certain accessories. It was enacted six months after a gunman using a legally purchased AR-15 opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park in 2022, killing seven people and wounding 48 others.

In the majority opinion, Judge Amy St. Eve, joined by Judge Frank Easterbrook, wrote that legislatures have long imposed restrictions on particularly dangerous weapons. The opinion stated that the burden the law places...