SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — A federal judge has ruled that an Illinois law banning the carrying of concealed firearms on public transportation is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston in Rockford ruled last Friday in favor of four gun owners who filed a lawsuit in 2022, arguing that their inability to carry weapons on buses and trains violated their Second Amendment right to self-defense.
Johnston relied on a crucial 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which determined that gun laws should be consistent with the conditions found in the late 1700s when the Bill of Rights was written. There were no regulations governing where guns could be carried.
Illinois became the last state in the country to allow concealed weapons to be carried in 2013. The law established a number of places where weapons were prohibited, including public arenas, hospitals, buses and trains.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul said through a spokesman that he is reconsidering the decision and will likely appeal.
He noted that until there is a final ruling in the case, gun owners must continue to abide by the concealed carry provisions. Johnston’s ruling currently applies only to the four plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit.