Bevis v. Naperville: Where the PICA Fight Stands Now

AURORA, IL — The courtroom calendar moves at its own pace, and sometimes the most useful thing I can do is give you a straight answer on where things actually stand — no speculation, no hype, just the honest state of the litigation as I understand it heading into the summer of 2026.

If you've been following our fight against Illinois' PICA rifle and magazine ban, here's what you need to know right now.

Bevis v. Naperville: Still the Lead Case in the Seventh Circuit

Our case — Bevis v. City of Naperville — remains one of the central challenges to the Protect Illinois Communities Act before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The core question hasn't changed: does Illinois have the constitutional authority to ban the most commonly owned semi-automatic rifles and standard-capacity magazines in the country?

Under Bruen, the answer requires the State to identify a historical tradition of analogous regulation stretching back to the founding era. As of this writing, they haven't done it. They can't — because that tradition doesn't exist.

The DOJ's decision earlier this year to file an amicus brief on our side, and to send attorney Harmeet Dhillon to argue at the Seventh Circuit, was not a small thing. The federal government standing up in court and saying that PICA violates the Second Amendment changed the landscape of this litigation in a way that can't be walked back.

Barnett v. Raoul Is Running on the Same Track

Barnett v. Raoul is the parallel PICA challenge moving through the same circuit. Both cases are essentially asking the Seventh Circuit the same constitutional question, and the outcomes are likely to track each other closely. We've covered Barnett's progression in earlier posts — the short version is that the two cases together represent the strongest coordinated challenge to Illinois' ban that has ever been mounted.

Judge Stephen McGlynn's injunction in the Southern District — which found PICA likely unconstitutional — remains one of the most important lower-court findings in this entire fight, even as the appeals process continues.

What the Recent Circuit Landscape Means for Illinois

Courts across the country have been issuing Second Amendment rulings at a pace we haven't seen since Bruen came down in 2022. The Fifth Circuit's recent work distinguishing protected arms from accessories, the DOJ's actions against state rifle bans in Colorado and D.C., and the broader application of the Bruen historical-tradition test are all building a body of law that directly benefits our arguments here in Illinois.

Every circuit court ruling that applies Bruen faithfully makes it harder for the Seventh Circuit to uphold PICA.

The State's argument has always depended on courts giving legislatures wide deference on firearms restrictions. Bruen took that deference away. The longer this litigation runs under the Bruen framework, the worse Illinois' position gets.

Where Things Stand as of Summer 2026

The Seventh Circuit has the cases. The DOJ has weighed in on our side. The historical record the State needs to win simply does not exist. What we're waiting on now is the court's decision — and that timeline is the court's to set, not ours.

In the meantime, PICA is still the law in Illinois. That means the ban on new transfers of covered rifles and the magazine-capacity limits remain in effect. If you have questions about what's currently legal to buy, own, or transfer in Illinois, come talk to us at Law Weapons in Aurora or reach out directly. We've been helping Illinois gun owners sort through this mess since the day the law passed.

I know the wait is frustrating. I feel it too — this is my business, my case, and my name on the lawsuit. But the legal foundation we've built is solid, and the momentum is real. We see this through to the end.

When there's news, you'll hear it from me first.

— Robert Bevis, Law Weapons & Supply