DOJ Joins NRA Suit Against Ill. 'Assault Weapons' Ban

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice filed an amicus brief on Friday in support of a National Rifle Association's lawsuit challenging Illinois' "assault weapons" ban.

"The Second Amendment is not a second-class right," DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted to X, pinning a copy of her department's recently filed amicus brief.

The brief began by stating, "Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision meant to break a habit developed by some States of treating the Second Amendment as 'a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other' constitutional rights."

"Regrettably," it added, "not every State got the message. Just a few months after Bruen, Illinois outlawed some of the most commonly used rifles and magazines in America via a so-called 'assault weapons' ban. In doing so, Illinois violated the Supreme Court's clear directive that States cannot prohibit arms that are 'in common use' by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes."

The DOJ centered its argument around two points:

"1. Whether the Act violates the Second Amendment to the extent that it bans the possession of firearms that are in common use by law-abiding citizens for lawful reasons."

"2. Whether the Act violates the Second Amendment to the extent that it bans the possession of magazines and other firearm attachments that are in common use by law-abiding citizens for lawful reasons."

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