An Illinois town's efforts to ban "assault weapons," including confiscation, heavy fines and destruction, was shot down by a judge's decision to issue a permanent injunction.

Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Luis A. Berrones was not swayed by the Village of Deerfield's arguments supporting its ban of the firearms. The Second Amendment Foundation, which sued the town in 2018 over the ban, was joined in the suit by the Illinois State Rifle Association and Deerfield resident Daniel Easterday, a lawful firearms owner. They were represented by Glen Ellyn attorney David Sigale.

“We are delighted with the judge’s decision, which we hope sends a message to other municipal governments that they can’t try to sneak around the state’s preemption statute in an effort to ban legal firearms ownership,” said Alan M. Gottlieb, SAF founder and Executive Vice President. “Last year, we were granted a temporary injunction by the circuit court, and this order making it permanent simply solidifies our position.”

In a press release, the SAF said the village council claimed their ban was an amendment to an ordinance adopted a few years ago designed to “regulate” firearms after the state passed its preemption statute in 2013. At the time, Gottlieb said the village was trying to disguise its anti-gun extremism as an amendment. But the court was not swayed by that defense, with Berrones signing the order.

The gun ban ordinance contained language that would have allowed confiscation and destruction of so-called “assault weapons” and their original capacity magazines, and levy fines of up to $1,000 a day against anyone who refused to surrender their guns.

“This is the kind of legislative extremism has no place on American soil,” Gottlieb said. “The Deerfield Village Board tried to pull a fast one and the court stopped them. It’s just one more example of how the Second Amendment Foundation is winning firearms freedom, one lawsuit at a time.”