Federal appeals court upholds Illinois ban on semiautomatic weapons, overturning lower-court ruling

A federal appeals court upheld Illinois's ban on semiautomatic weapons, overturning a lower court's ruling that deemed the ban unconstitutional. The Seventh Circuit's 2-1 decision affirmed the law's compliance with the Second Amendment, citing its alignment with firearm regulation traditions and evidence linking such weapons to severe gun violence. The law, enacted in 2023, was prompted by a 2022 mass shooting at a Chicago-area parade.