CHICAGO (June 17, 2025) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) praised the filing of an important “friend-of-the-court” brief by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in support of FPC’s lawsuit challenging the Illinois Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), which bans so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines”, all constitutionally protected arms. The DOJ brief urges the Seventh Circuit to uphold FPC’s victory at the district court and marks a critical step in fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to protect Americans’ fundamental right to keep and bear arms.
“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.”
“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.”
The DOJ brief and other key case documents in Harrel v. Raoul can be viewed at firearmspolicy.org/harrel.
FPC is joined in the litigation by individual and retailer members as well as Illinois State Rifle Association and Second Amendment Foundation. The plaintiffs are represented by David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, and William V. Bergstrom of Cooper & Kirk as well as David G. Sigale. FPC thanks FPC Action Foundation for its strategic support of this FPC Law case.
Individuals who want to JOIN THE FIGHT and be a part of the FPC community’s mission to eliminate unconstitutional laws throughout the United States should join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org.
About FPC
Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit membership organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. We work to achieve our strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs. Our FPC Law program is the nation’s preeminent legal action initiative focused on restoring the right to keep and bear arms throughout the United States. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, follow FPC on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
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