The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the request from a Naperville gun shop owner and the National Association for Gun Rights for an injunction to halt the enforcement of both the city of Naperville and the state of Illinois’ assault weapons bans.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett referred the application for the injunction to the full court on Wednesday. The court denied her referral in an unsigned order.
Bevis and gun group continued push against weapons bans
Robert Bevis, owner of Law Weapons & Supply, along with the National Association for Gun Rights had filed a federal lawsuit against the weapons bans of both Naperville and the state of Illinois.
“This is a Second Amendment right,” Bevis told NCTV17 back in January. “They don’t have the right to prevent the sale of firearms. If you have the right to bear arms, you have the right to acquire firearms and buy them.”
With a ruling on that and other similar cases still pending, Bevis and the gun group went to both the U.S. District Court and the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to ask for an injunction to block the enforcement of the bans. Both rejected the request.
Bevis and the gun rights group then took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking for an emergency injunction. They claimed that the bans are unconstitutional, as citizens have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons for “lawful purposes, including self-defense in the home.” Additionally, Bevis’ attorneys said that his gun shop has suffered as a result of the bans, and may have to close.
Naperville and state push back
In briefs filed with the Supreme Court, attorneys for the city of Naperville argued that there was no reason in this case to sidestep the “ordinary appellate process,” and that the safety of residents outweighs “business concerns.”
Attorneys for the state said Bevis and the gun rights group failed to show that they are likely to win their pending cases, and said there was no evidence shown that Bevis and the gun group would suffer irreparable harm due to the law.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!