(The Center Square) – Popular YouTube Second Amendment commentator William Kirk says Illinoisans should stay in Illinois and fight gun control measures.
Kirk, who hosts a YouTube program called “Washington Gun Law,” is based out of Washington state. He visited Illinois for a second time in a year to discuss gun laws, self defense cases and to promote a service called Right To Bear, which offers legal assistance for those involved in a self-defense situation.
To the dozens in attendance at one event, Kirk said to continue to fight for the Land of Lincoln.
“You can’t just sit here and bend over and take what they’re shoving down your throat from Springfield,” Kirk told The Center Square after an event at a VFW in Villa Park. “You’ve got to stand up. And I know that sometimes the numerical values, and that’s a very difficult fight. But I would rather see folks in Illinois die on their feet than live on their knees.”
The ban, in place since January 2023, prohibits the sale and possession of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms. After a federal district judge found the law unconstitutional, the state appealed.
Visiting Illinois this week from Washington state to talk with fans, Kirk said the three judge appeals panel could rule in favor of the plaintiffs.
“I think that if that happens, the state of Illinois will appeal,” he said. “The next day, the Seventh Circuit full en banc panel will swoop and issue a stay and eventually screw it all up.”
Kirk said Illinois’ case from the Southern District could be “the full Monty,” exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court is looking for.
“Because it has a magazine ban and it has a platform ban, and it also has an unlawful gun registry all wrapped into one piece of legislation,” he said.
Kirk said also notable in the case is a filing from the U.S. Department of Justice siding with plaintiffs that the law is unconstitutional.
Supporters of the ban say the law is needed to ban dangerous and unusual weapons, and the law addresses unprecedented societal concerns about increased rates of mass shootings.
The challenge to Illinois’ gun ban will be heard by the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Sept. 22. Attorneys for the state appealed a lower court decision that the law violated the Second Amendment. Regardless of how the court rules, it’s expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
