A 2-1 Seventh Circuit panel reinstated Illinois’ ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, reversing a lower-court block on the 2023 Protect Illinois Communities Act.
Judge Amy St. Eve’s 44-page majority said the law fits Bruen’s historical-tradition test because legislatures have long restricted especially dangerous weapons, citing analogies to Bowie knife laws.
Judge Michael Brennan dissented, arguing the panel stretched Bruen by allowing regulation of weapons the majority deemed unusually dangerous regardless of common lawful use.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Governor J.B. Pritzker hailed the decision as a public-safety win; challengers are expected to keep pressing the case toward the Supreme Court.
The ruling lands 9 days after the Supreme Court agreed to review assault-weapons bans, including one from Cook County, as Illinois defends a law enacted after the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting that killed 7 people.
What forgotten 18th-century laws could decide the fate of 21st-century firearms in court this fall?
Beyond legal arguments, what does data show about the link between specific weapons and public safety?
Illinois Assault Weapons Ban Survives Appeals Court; Supreme Court to Set National Precedent
Overview
On July 9, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld Illinois’ 2023 ban on semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, reversing a lower court’s earlier decision that found the ban unconstitutional. This ruling followed the tragic 2022 Highland Park mass shooting, which prompted Illinois lawmakers to enact strict gun control legislation prohibiting the sale and possession of certain firearms and magazines. The Seventh Circuit’s decision marked a major victory for gun control advocates, highlighting how a devastating event led to new laws and a significant legal battle over their constitutionality.