Staff Reports
A bold federal judge in Illinois has put his foot down and isn’t playing any games when it comes to the state’s controversial gun ban. Judge Stephen McGlynn ain’t about to let the government stall and delay this challenge just so they can figure out what they actually did. Illinois banned over 170 semi-automatic firearms, certain magazines, and attachments back in January 2023, and people are not happy about it.
The Southern District of Illinois is where all the action is happening, with a bunch of lawsuits getting thrown into one big pot. In April, Judge McGlynn slapped a preliminary injunction on the ban, but then the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals stepped in and said “hold up,” putting the injunction on ice. But don’t worry, the judge is ready to tackle this mess head-on, and he’s not planning on dragging it out forever.
Federal judge ‘not interested’ in delaying challenge to Illinois gun ban https://t.co/rpOgvWjaPg
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) February 4, 2024
During a recent scheduling conference, Judge McGlynn let it be known that he’s not messing around. He wants to address the merits of the case ASAP because, let’s be real, people’s constitutional rights are allegedly being stomped on, and that’s a big deal. No time for dilly-dallying and dragging their feet, according to Judge McGlynn.
The state tried to call for a November 30 deadline to wrap up discovery, but Judge McGlynn shot that down real quick. He’s not interested in giving the government all the time in the world to figure out their own legislation. It’s like, come on guys, you should probably know what you’re passing into law, right?
One of the gun rights advocates in the mix, Todd Vandermyde, is feeling pretty good about the judge’s no-nonsense attitude. He’s basically saying, “Yeah, the judge knows what’s up, and he’s not letting the government off easy. They passed a bad bill, and now they’re scrambling to understand just how bad it is.” It’s like watching a cat chase its own tail, except it’s government lawyers trying to decipher their own law.
The plaintiffs are gearing up to select their representatives and figure out the scope and timeline for this whole shebang. With Judge McGlynn cracking the whip, it looks like things are about to heat up in Illinois. So, get your popcorn ready, folks, because this battle over gun rights is about to get real interesting. Stay tuned for more drama in the land of Lincoln.
