Dupage Policy Journal

The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) plans to take their case against Naperville's gun ban to the Supreme Court.

In August of 2022, the Naperville city council voted 8-1 to pass a gun ban ordinance that prohibits the sale of high powered rifles within city limits, reported ABC News. The ban took place just weeks after the Highland Park shooting, and local officials received a thank you letter from Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering for their actions in the following days. The city council meeting went on for hours, with hundreds of citizens coming to voice their comments about the impacts of the ban. Robert Bevis, a local gun store owner, said the ban might force him to shut down his business and lay off employees.

According to a press release, the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) has filed a lawsuit on Bevis' behalf, protesting the ordinance on the grounds that it violates the second amendment. The lawsuit is currently awaiting a decision from the 7th Circuit Court, which recently expedited the matter after the NAGR filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court denied the appeal but did so only after the 7th Circuit Court announced they would expedite the case.

"Usually the Supreme Court ignores or says ‘yeah we’re going to let things play out,’ but this is an emergency petition really," NAGR President Dudley Brown said during an interview with Fox News.

NAGR representatives say they intend to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court to receive the correct decision regarding unconstitutional firearms bans. NAGR has several other similar lawsuits in the district and across the country, fighting against bans on specific firearms. The recent Bruen court case set a precedent which demands that such cases have decisions backed up by history, text and tradition of the second amendment.

“Any action the Supreme Court would have taken at this point would only have been temporary and not on the merits of the case itself,” Hannah Hill, executive director of the NAGR’s legal arm said. “Clearly, the Supreme Court is watching the issue closely and we look forward to appealing very soon on the merits if the 7th Circuit rules against us – as the signs currently point to.”