Illinois is considering boosting gun control measures, even as its laws are under fire from Second Amendment advocates concerned they undermine constitutional rights. Illinois is one of two states that require residents to obtain a government-issued license to legally possess or purchase any firearm, giving state police up to 30 days to approve or deny applications. While the New Civil Liberties Alliance is suing to block the Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, gun rights proponents could find themselves facing yet another hurdle in the coming months, as state Democrats begin to eye a bill that would effectively ban Glocks. The trend toward stricter gun control has sparked intense opposition from Second Amendment activists, with NCLA senior litigation counsel Jacob Huebert telling the Washington Examiner that the licensing case is especially important “because it involves the licensing of a constitutional right.”
“Illinois has had just about the least respect for gun rights of any state historically,” he said. “Forcing someone to get a license to exercise a constitutional right at all violates due process, because that’s not how rights work. The right is something you’re supposed to have, and it means you can do something without the government’s permission. When you flip that, putting the burden on the citizen, you’re depriving people of liberty without due process of law.”
