Washington Gun Law’s President, William Kirk, recently highlighted a bizarre legal scenario brewing in Illinois, leaving residents tangled in the state’s complex gun laws.
In a video update, Kirk joked that Illinois, often the “silver medal platform when it comes to crazy gun laws,” could soon see its Protect Illinois Communities Act temporarily lifted by an impending injunction.
However, Illinoisans who lawfully purchase firearms during this injunction period could still find themselves in legal jeopardy if the injunction is later stayed.
Under Illinois law, residents must register any “assault weapon” purchased after January 10, 2023. Kirk explained, “The minute that injunction is stayed, you are actually in violation of the Protect Illinois Communities Act.”
He emphasized the legal trap residents could face: if they bought a firearm during an injunction, the law would still require them to swear under penalty of perjury that they owned it before January 10, a clear legal dilemma.
“Obviously, you cannot sign that under penalty of perjury if you came into possession of it even though you came into possession of it lawfully sometime in October or November of 2024,” Kirk noted.
Kirk predicts a cycle of “win, stay, appeal” for the Illinois cases, expecting injunctions to be brief and subject to rapid reversal.
Should a gun owner lawfully obtain a firearm in this window, Kirk said, “Illinois may let you buy it legally but not own it legally,” underscoring the state’s complex restrictions and legal ambiguities.
Compliance is another challenge for the state, with only an estimated 1-11% of Illinois gun owners reportedly registering their firearms, despite Governor J.B. Pritzker’s claims of higher numbers.
Kirk’s analysis found most residents are reluctant to reveal their firearms to the state—a sentiment tied to concerns about future confiscation.
“One of the biggest mountains of material that we’ve ever had to work with on this channel was, of course, the weekly updates on how many fools were actually out there in Illinois registering their firearms,” Kirk added, bluntly summarizing the compliance issue.
For Illinois residents, the choices are tricky: comply with a law they don’t believe in or risk legal consequences even if they act within the bounds of a temporary injunction.
Kirk suggests this won’t be his last video on the subject.
He encouraged gun owners in Illinois to stay updated as the legal battles evolve, expecting “things are going to move very fast and furious” in the coming months.
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