Illinois gun owners plan rally in wake of Supreme Court order

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The Illinois State Rifle Association says gun owners have run out of options in a case challenging the state’s prohibition of carrying concealed firearms on mass transit.

The case Schoenthal v. Raoul dealt with whether the state’s ban of carrying firearms on mass transit, even for those with concealed carry permits, is constitutional.

A district judge said the measure is unconstitutional. An appeals court differed. The U.S. Supreme Court Monday turned down a petition to hear the case.

“We are very disappointed by the Court’s decision, especially since law-abiding public transportation riders in Illinois are less safe as a result of the law,” attorney David Sigale, who represents plaintiffs, told the The Center Square. “We know that groups like the ISRA will continue to fight this prohibition in the legislative and political arenas, as well as the courts, so that Illinoisans’ Second Amendment rights will be respected.”

Richard Pearson with the ISRA said they’ve run out of options for that challenge. But, there are other cases the Supreme Court could take up.

“They have the Wolford [v. Lopez] case in front of them, which is from Hawaii, which is about public spaces and actually public transportation. So we’ll see what they do with that,” Pearson told The Center Square Monday. “So we were kind of hoping for a favorable ruling, at least to take our case. And that didn’t happen.”

Pearson said with legal battles underway, gun owners are monitoring what kind of new legislation the General Assembly could pass before the end of session next month, including a potential ban on certain handguns that can be converted to full auto.

The Illinois State Rifle Association is hosting Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day next Wednesday, April 15, in Springfield. The event has taken place every year during spring session of the General Assembly since 2007. Participants will meet at the Bank of Springfield Center at 10 a.m. and later march several blocks from the convention center to the capitol for a rally.

Pearson said one measure they’re watching is a proposed ban on handguns that can be converted from semi-auto to full-auto. He said it’s short sighted.

“All of them can be converted in some way or another, if you put another effort into it,” Pearson said. “If you give a machinist a block of steel and he turns it into a machine gun, is the block of steel going to be illegal next, you know. So, you can turn anything into anything if you have enough work on it.”

Pearson said legislators pass laws that seem to only punish gun owners with higher taxes and fewer options while criminals rarely bare the brunt of committing crime.

Supporters of the measure to ban certain handguns say it’s an effort to nudge the gun industry from manufacturing such semi-automatic pistol platforms.

Information about I-GOLD can be found at ISRA.org.