The Supreme Court of the United States of America on Wednesday turned down an urgent request to provide relief sought by a gun rights group and gun store owners who stated that the Illinois law and a Naperville ordinance violated their Second Amendment rights. The decision by the Apex Court comes at a time when the United States is grappling with a slew of mass shootings in recent times.

The Apex court of US completely discarded the request put forth by the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) and a firearm retailer for an injunction blocking enforcement of the state law along with a similar ban enacted by Naperville, while a legal challenge to the measures proceeds. Notably, no justice openly dissented from the decision.

JB Pritzker, the Democratic Illinois Governor, early in the month of January, signed into law the Protect Illinois Communities Act that completely banned the distribution and sale of several types of high-powered semi automatic “assault weapons,” that also includes AK-47, AR-15 rifles and magazines that take more than 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for short handguns.

This decision by the Apex Court, which is preliminary, is the latest in which the hon’ble high court completely declined to intervene in a 2nd Amendment challenge following its last year’s decision to provide the ability of citizens to carry short hand guns in public. The class of weapons banned have been used in numerous mass shootings.

As of now, this decision is widely seen as a big victory for Gun Control Advocates. However, the Gun Owners can still challenge the decision in the appeals court and will likely eventually make it back to the Apex Court on the merits. 

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