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NRA Files Amicus Brief in Challenge to Illinois’s Public Transit Carry Ban

Friday, March 21, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Challenge to Illinois’s Public Transit Carry Ban

Today, the National Rifle Association and California Rifle & Pistol Association filed an amicus brief in a challenge to Illinois’s law prohibiting concealed carry licensees from carrying firearms on public transportation unless those firearms are unloaded and secured—essentially rendering them useless for self-defense.

NRA’s brief explains that the conduct at issue—carrying firearms in public for self-defense—is clearly covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment. Therefore, Illinois must provide a historical basis for its restriction, and there isn’t one.

First, there is no historical tradition of banning firearms on public transportation. While some private railroad companies barred passengers from carrying firearms, public regulations in the nineteenth century only regulated the discharge of firearms on public transit—not the mode or manner of carry.

Second, public transportation, even if owned and operated by the government, is not a “sensitive place” like a courthouse or legislature. It does not provide a core function of government deliberation, which was the historic basis for banning firearms at certain government locations. Moreover, the government does not provide for passenger security on public transit, as evidenced by the myriad headline-making incidents of violence in recent years on subways and at train stations.

Illinois’s regulation is therefore unconstitutional and cannot stand.

The case is Schoenthal v. Raoul. It is currently before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights, and please visit https://www.nraila.org/legal-legislation/current-litigation/ to keep up to date on NRA-ILA’s ongoing litigation efforts.

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Monday, September 8, 2025

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Monday, July 7, 2025

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Monday, September 8, 2025

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California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) may have thought he had scored against President Donald Trump in a recent war of words over rampant crime and the deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-led cities

Report: Senior ATF Official Joins (Private) Firearm Prohibition Lobby

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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the federal agency whose jurisdiction encompasses federal firearms laws. 

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Earlier this month, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 8 into law. This legislation imposes new mandatory firearm storage requirements on law-abiding gun owners.  

Arkansas Atrocity Highlights Need for Reform in Rules Governing Carry in Public Parks

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Monday, August 25, 2025

Arkansas Atrocity Highlights Need for Reform in Rules Governing Carry in Public Parks

On the heels of the shocking and seemingly random murder of a couple in an Arkansas state park while they were walking a trail with their young children, many are revisiting their self-defense plans in the great ...

Due Process: The Backbone of Legal Legitimacy

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Monday, September 8, 2025

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Update: North Carolina House Reschedules Veto Override Vote

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Update: North Carolina House Reschedules Veto Override Vote

Today, the House rescheduled the veto override vote on Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to Monday, September 22. 

ABAs Latest Resolution Continues to Ignore Liberty and Hinder Justice for Gun Owners

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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

ABAs Latest Resolution Continues to Ignore Liberty and Hinder Justice for Gun Owners

Last month, the American Bar Association (ABA), via its Standing Committee on Gun Violence, passed yet another anti-gun resolution at their annual meeting in Toronto (the venue should serve as a clue regarding their commitment ...

Third Circuit Sua Sponte Takes NRA’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Ban Case En Banc

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Third Circuit Sua Sponte Takes NRA’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Ban Case En Banc

Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs v. Attorney Gen. New Jersey is an NRA-supported challenge to New Jersey’s prohibitions on so-called “assault firearms” and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.