Gun group files lawsuit against village's new ban on 'assault weapons'

The village of Deerfield, Illinois is being sued over their newly adopted prohibition against certain guns and magazines.

Deerfield’s Village Board on Monday unanimously approved a local ordinance outlawing “assault weapons” and “large capacity magazines” against a warning from gun rights advocates that the move would likely expose the Chicago suburb to litigation.

By Wednesday, an Illinois-based Second Amendment member group, Guns Save Life, announced a lawsuit against Deerfield with the support of the National Rifle Association.

“We are going to fight this ordinance, which clearly violates our member’s constitutional rights, and with the help of the NRA I believe we can secure a victory for law-abiding gun owners in and around Deerfield,” said John Boch, GSL president, in a statement issued through the NRA’s lobbying arm.

Under Deerfield’s ordinance, which takes effect June 13, those with banned guns or magazines could be liable for municipal fines of up to $1,000 a day once the city identifies them. The measure is an expansion of a 2013 law adopted by the town regulating the storage and transport of many popular semi-autos such as AR-15s. Since 2013, Illinois has had a firearm preemption law in effect that bars cities and counties from regulating guns and ammunition.

Village leaders established the ban in response to the recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and not local events as Deerfield has a low crime rate, although violence does occasionally spill over into the ordinarily quiet town.

The Illinois State Rifle Association, the NRA’s state affiliate, has gone on record in open opposition to Deerfield’s new ordinance, and ISRA board member Mike Weisman cautioned beforehand that the village should be prepared for a lawsuit if it was adopted, but it is unclear if the group is also a party to the pending litigation.

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