Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker | Governor JB Pritzker/Facebook
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker | Governor JB Pritzker/Facebook
GOP state lawmakers are hitting Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker hard with claims that he entrapped citizens who bought certain semi-automatic firearms during the six-day window when the state’s gun ban was put on hold by a federal court.
Among the criticisms put forth about Pritzker's handling of the situation is one by Illinois state Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville). He charges that when the Southern District of Illinois federal court enjoined the state from enforcing the law, the Pritzker administration did not put out any guidance for the citizens of the state on how to follow the new rules.
“This is, I believe, an intentional effort by the governor and the attorney general to entrap Illinoisans, law-abiding citizens, and turn them into felons and I think it’s punitive and egregious,” the senator said in a May 10 news conference, quoted in a report from The Center Square.
At a separate event the same day, Pritzker was quick to respond.
“What the law says is that as of Jan. 1 of 2024, that people will need to fill out the affidavit that they have one of those guns,” he said, quoted by The Center Square. “That’s really all it is. There’s nobody going after anybody, but that’s really what the law says.”
With the issue still making its way through the Illinois court system, as of now any person found in violation of having a banned firearm could have to deal with a Class A misdemeanor, and gun dealers could face felony charges as a result of their involvement in that particular law violation.
Plummer noted that his office is being flooded by calls from constituents looking for clarity on the matter.
“We’re going to introduce the legislation and this legislation is going to merely provide peace of mind to law-abiding gun owners in the state of Illinois who have been exercising their Second Amendment rights that they will not be attacked by the state of Illinois, they will not be penalized by the state of Illinois, for doing what they were told they could do by the court of law," Plummer said.
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