A federal appeals court panel in Chicago ruled Thursday that Illinois’ sweeping ban on high-powered guns and high-capacity ammunition magazines can stay in place while the state contests a ruling from a downstate judge who found the law unconstitutional.

Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault weapons will remain in place until a federal court weighs in. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed the injunction until they rule on the constitutionality of the law,

Multiple federal courts have issued contradictory rulings on Illinois' assault weapon and extended ammo magazine bans since state lawmakers enacted the bans in January 2023.

The Illinois assault weapons ban is now being reviewed by a federal appeals court after a downstate judge ruled it unconstitutional. But just what factors are put into use in defining an assault weapon in Illinois?

A ruling Thursday by the federal appeals court in Chicago allows the law to remain in place while the legal controversy it’s generated continues to work its way through the courts.

Illinois’ gun and magazine ban will stay in effect pending the outcome in the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, the appeals court ruled Thursday. Illinois banned the sale and possession of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities in January 2023.