Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) Friday, stopping, for now, the implementation of the Illinois ban on commonly owned semiautomatic rifles.

Breitbart News reported that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the ban on January 10, 2023. The new law allows those who already own the banned firearms to retain them, but requires that the owners register the guns with the Illinois State Police.

Pritzker’s office released a statement upon his signing of the bill. It said, in part, “The new law also requires existing owners of semi-automatic rifles to register their ownership, ensuring that law enforcement knows the location of these weapons of war and who to hold accountable if they fall into the wrong hands.”

FOX News noted that Judge Morrison issued a TRO Friday in a case brought by “citizens from 87 Illinois counties.”

Morrison noted that the right to bear arms is protected by the U.S. Constitution and the Illinois constitution.

He observed that the 830 plaintiffs from the 87 counties “are being immediately and irreparably harmed each day in which their fundamental right to bear arms is being denied.”

On January 15, 2023, Breitbart News pointed out that sheriffs in 80 of Illinois’ 102 counties had made clear they believe the ban violated the constitution and were refusing to enforce it.

On January 20, 2023, the Wall Street Journal explained “almost every sheriff in Illinois has vowed not to enforce a new ban on military-style semiautomatic weapons.”