CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul and District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in support of California’s prohibition on carrying firearms in health care facilities, parks, places of worship, public transit and other sensitive places.
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Raoul and the attorneys general filed an amicus brief in Carralero v. Bonta. The brief urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to overturn a lower court’s decision that bars California from enforcing its restrictions on carrying firearms in these places.
“People deserve to feel safe while at places of worship or while their children play at parks. That is why I am urging the U.S. Court of Appeals to uphold this prohibition on firearms in such sensitive places,” Raoul said. “I will continue to advocate against the scourge of gun violence that has become common in too many communities around Illinois and across the nation.”
In the brief, Raoul and the attorneys general argue the Second Amendment allows states and localities to enact reasonable firearm regulations to protect against gun violence, including restrictions on carrying firearms in sensitive places. Additionally, Raoul and the coalition argue that the list of sensitive places identified by California is consistent with other jurisdictions that limit firearm possession in crowded places, around vulnerable populations, and where individuals exercise other constitutionally-protected rights.
The brief is Attorney General Raoul’s most recent action to address gun violence throughout Illinois and across the nation. The Attorney General’s office works with state law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to increase awareness of Illinois’ red flag law and to address gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system. The office also continues to prosecute individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
Nationally, Raoul has led coalitions of attorneys general supporting bans on carrying firearms in sensitive areas such as in schools, on public transit and in places of worship. Attorney General Raoul has persistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Illinois law now prohibits ghost guns, but Raoul’s office continues to fight in federal court to help defend a rule closing the federal loophole. Additionally, Attorney General Raoul successfully filed and resolved a lawsuit to get the federal firearm license of an unscrupulous arms manufacturer revoked.
In addition to supporting law enforcement, the Attorney General’s office supports service providers around Illinois that offer trauma-informed services for crime victims and their families. Raoul’s Crime Victims Services Division administers a host of programs and services to assist survivors of violent crime. More information is available on the Attorney General’s website.
Attorneys General Raoul and Schwalb are joined in filing the brief by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
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