Weekend Edition | Illinois Appeals Court Hears Challenge to Illinois’ Gun ID Law

Illinois in Focus

(The Center Square) – Whether Illinois’ Firearm Owner’s ID card is constitutional is now up to a state appellate court. Illinois is one of only a handful of states that requires individuals to have a specific permit or ID to purchase firearms and one of only two states that requires one to possess firearms or ammunition. Guns Save Life brought the case against the state, saying the law violates the Second Amendment. The Sangamon County court sided with the state. A three-judge panel of the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court heard the case Thursday. Plaintiffs argued the law violates the plain text of the Second Amendment and the only comparable historical laws the state has are defunct loyalty oath laws and race-based prohibitions on specific firearms.