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.

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.

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,

"The definition is so broad, and covers things that have no bearing on the mechanical function of firearms or the ballistic performance of ammunition, so a lot of the criteria that the State of Illinois uses to define something as an assault weapon strains logic," Serritella said.

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’ 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.