John Schmidt, former US Associate Attorney General and G-PAC executive committee member, issued the following statement in response to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals action yesterday staying the injunction issued by Judge Steven McGlynn of the Southern District of Illinois against enforcement of the Illinois ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
“We welcome the Court of Appeals action. It means the Illinois ban will continue in effect until the appeal from Judge McGlynn’s order is decided. Illinois citizens will continue to be protected against weapons designed for military purposes that no one needs for self-defense and are the weapons of choice for criminals who want to cause maximum destruction.
In issuing its stay order the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals noted its own prior decision reversing Judge McGlynn’s preliminary injunction against the Illinois law and also the fact that other Circuit Courts of Appeals have since agreed with that decision. Judge McGlynn was and continues to be an outlier whose negative view of a state’s constitutional power to ban these weapons of destruction has found no support from any higher court. We expect that will continue to be the case.”
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