State Sen. Chesney backs sheriffs’ stance on gun law

FREEPORT — State Sen. Andrew Chesney, newly sworn-in Republican to represent the 45th district that includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties, said he stands with sheriffs from those counties that will not enforce the gun law that requires registration of legacy-owned semiautomatic weapons.

Chesney said in a news release he is “pleased they are drawing a line and refusing to enforce this blatant infringement on our shared consistencies’ Second Amendment rights.”

In large parts of northern Illinois, sheriffs issued statements Wednesday based on a draft document provided by the Illinois Sheriff’s Association that said they would not arrest “law-abiding individuals” who won’t comply with the registration requirement.

Chesney said the sheriffs “recognize, as I do, that this new law in unconstitutional.”

To date the new law has not been tested by the courts nor ruled unconstitutional. It was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday; the provision for registration starts Jan. 1, 2024.