NW Illinois News

Stephenson County Sheriff Steve Stovall will not be enforcing the sweeping gun ban recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. 

Stovall dubbed the HB 5471 "unconstitutional legislation" that infringes on people's 2nd Amendment Rights. He said this makes any enforcement of the law contrary to his oath of office.

“On December 1st, 2022, I took an oath and solemnly swore that I would support the Constitution of the United States. This is not something that I took lightly,” Stovall said in a statement. “Recently, the Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 5471 and it was signed into law by Governor Pritzker. Let me be clear, this piece of legislation will do nothing to make our communities safer! Criminals don't follow the laws, that is what makes them criminals."

Stovall vowed that as custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement official for Stephenson County, neither he nor his office "will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing law abiding individuals that have been arrested solely for non-compliance of this Act.”  

Stovall said, “It is a shame that instead of addressing laws to prevent violent criminals from terrorizing so many communities throughout this State, the General Assembly is attempting to make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens.”  

“I am confident that this misguided legislation will be struck down by the judicial branch, and after that, I sincerely hope the Illinois General Assembly will work on legislation that makes our communities safer instead of attempting to disarm law- abiding citizens,” Stovall said.

Sheriffs across the state are refusing to implement the Protect Illinois Communities Act – HB 5471 – that bans over 100 commonly owned firearms, state Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) noted on his Facebook page.

More than 85 of Illinois’ 102 counties have said they will not enforce the ban due to what they see as constitutional violations, according to Colion Noir. The ban affects 170 types of guns commonly available in the state.

The law classifies all semi-automatic weapons as assault weapons. The law also requires local firearms be registered, according to Central Illinois Proud. 

The Illinois State Rifle Association, the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc., and the Second Amendment Foundation, along with several gun owners from across Illinois have filed joint action in federal court against the State of Illinois over the ban, according to Chicago City Wire.