IL: Illinois gun ban on public transit stands after Supreme Court declines case

A ban that keeps individuals with concealed weapon permits from bringing their firearms on public transportation is staying in place. The ban remains in place after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear arguments challenging it.

The high court declined to hear the case Monday, according to multiple reports. The Chicago Sun-Times writes, "The Cook County State's Attorney's office, alongside Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and DuPage County state's attorney, had challenged a lower court ruling overturning the ban in 2024. A federal appeals court backed the law in a September decision."

The ban took effect in 2013. In 2024, four individuals sued to overturn the ban, and a federal judge sided with them, noting the ban was "unconstitutional." However, the judge's ruling applied only to those four plaintiffs — it wasn't a statewide reversal. Another federal judge put the full ban back in place in 2025, and that ruling remains in place following Monday's decision by the Supreme Court.

In a statement, Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke said, "Everyone deserves to feel safe on public transit. Minimizing the risk from dangerous weapons is crucial to protect members of the public who use this vital public resource. We are pleased the Supreme Court agreed with our arguments, which will allow Illinois' commonsense law banning firearms on public transportation to stand."

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