President Trump’s Department of Justice threw its weight into the fight to overturn the Protect Illinois Communities Act, a broad and draconian anti-gun measure that is a de facto ban on nearly all modern semi-auto rifles in the Land of Lincoln State. 

This month, the DOJ filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief supporting the Firearms Policy Coalition’s lawsuit challenging Illinois' PICA law, which broadly targets so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” magazines.

“Just a few months after Bruen, Illinois outlawed some of the most commonly used rifles and magazines in America via a so-called ‘assault weapons’ ban,” says the DOJ's brief. “In doing so, Illinois violated the Supreme Court’s clear directive that States cannot prohibit arms that are ‘in common use’ by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.”

In the amicus brief, the DOJ argued for the Seventh Circuit to uphold FPC’s victory at the district court, which marks another step toward unwinding the expansive and ill-defined PICA law. The arrival of official DOJ support also denotes a dramatic shift from the previous Biden administration.

“We are gratified that the federal government recognizes the importance of supporting our fight to eliminate this ban on constitutionally-protected arms,” said FPC founder and president, Brandon Combs. “This important brief underscores our argument that the Seventh Circuit must affirm our district court victory in this case under binding Supreme Court precedent. We hope Solicitor General Sauer will stand with us on this issue at the Supreme Court when this case inevitably heads up.”

Various individuals, retailers, and pro-Second Amendment groups have joined the litigation, including the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation. Those looking to lend their personal support for FPC’s efforts “to eliminate unconstitutional laws throughout the United States” can join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org.