Supreme Court Allows Illinois to Keep Weapons Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court declined gun rights advocates’ request to pause the enactment of an Illinois law, signed in January, that bans the sale of some semiautomatic weapons.

The Details: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is currently considering the case, which will be heard on June 29. The advocates argued the law defies a precedent set in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen which said gun control laws are only lawful if they are consistent with American traditions dating back to the founding of the nation.

For Context: The law bans some assault rifles, as well as the sale of magazines that have more than 15 rounds of ammunition for handguns. Citizens who legally owned affected weapons before the law’s enactment can keep them, but must register them with the state.

Key Quotes: Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said gun rights advocates “should not be deterred,” and that the court’s decline to pause the law was over procedural matters, not based on the merits of the case.

How The Media Covered It: Some Left and Center-rated sources noted the conservative justices’ expansion of gun laws last summer and went more in-depth on context of mass shootings in relation to the law’s genesis. Right-rated sources covered Wednesday’s news similarly, but some went less in-depth on context. Some Right and Center-rated sources like Newsmax (Right bias) and The Hill (Center bias) posted Associated Press’ (Lean Left bias) wire as part of their coverage.