Chicago, Illinois - A federal judge in Illinois recently struck down an assault weapons ban passed in the state, arguing the ban is "unconstitutional."

On Friday, Judge Stephen McGlynn – who was appointed by Donald Trump during his first presidency – filed a lengthy ruling in which he argued that the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) is "an unconstitutional affront" that "must be enjoined" so that "the government may not deprive law-abiding citizens of their guaranteed right to self-defense as a means of offense."

PICA was signed into law by Democratic Governor JB Pritzker back in January 2023, banning the sale of many semiautomatic rifles and magazines that take more than 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns.

Judge McGlynn sided with plaintiffs who had argued that assault rifles are used legally in self-defense situations. He further argued that property theft crimes are rising across the country, and "a handgun or shotgun alone would not be the citizen's preferred arm."

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"Sadly, there are those who seek to usher in a sort of post-Constitution era where the citizens' individual rights are only as important as they are convenient to a ruling class," Judge McGlynn wrote.

The judge stayed the injunction for 30 days, and, according to the Associated Press, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul quickly filed a notice of appeal.

Assault weapons make mass shootings far deadlier, with Everytown reporting that such weapons resulted in 23 times as many wounded per shooting on average. So far this year, there have been over 500 mass shootings in the US.