{"id":2342727,"date":"2024-09-18T09:10:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T13:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/distinction-of-military-civilian-firearms-made-during-day-2-of-il-gun-ban-trial-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-18T09:11:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T13:11:31","slug":"distinction-of-military-civilian-firearms-made-during-day-2-of-il-gun-ban-trial-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/distinction-of-military-civilian-firearms-made-during-day-2-of-il-gun-ban-trial-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Distinction of military, civilian firearms made during Day 2 of IL gun ban trial &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdistinction-of-military-civilian-firearms-made-during-day-2-of-il-gun-ban-trial-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2342727&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the second day of a \u200dbench trial \u200cregarding Illinois&#8217; gun\u2063 and magazine\u200d ban, focusing on the distinctions between commercially \u2064available <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-makes-false-gun-claims-signals-biden-may-use-executive-action-to-crackdown-on-second-amendment\/\" title=\"Harris Makes False Gun Claims, Signals Biden May Use Executive Action To Crackdown On Second Amendment\">semi-automatic rifles<\/a> and military-grade firearms. A significant testimony \u2064came from James Ronkainen, a \u2062former engineer at Remington, who highlighted the differences between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressman-jamie-raskin-wants-to-tax-your-guns-if-he-cant-ban-them\/\" title=\"Congressman Jamie Raskin Wants To Tax Your Guns If He Can\u2019t Ban Them\">modern sporting rifles<\/a> and \u200dmilitary specifications. He noted that modifications to\u200d make AR-15s into fully \u2063automatic weapons are illegal\u2063 and technically challenging due to the differing internal components. <\/p>\n<p>The Seventh Circuit U.S. \u2063Court of Appeals had previously supported\u2063 the\u200c state in its designation of these rifles as \u2062subject to regulation due to their similarities to military firearms. The trial also examined data from the ATF on rifle manufacturing, revealing that hundreds of thousands of modern sporting rifles\u2062 are produced annually, indicating their common usage beyond law enforcement. Plaintiffs&#8217; attorney Thomas \u2064Maag emphasized this prevalence and \u2064the legal risks of modifying\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-congress-enact-major-restrictions-on-constitutionally-protected-second-amendment-rights\/\" title=\"Biden To Congress: Enact Major Restrictions On Constitutionally Protected Second Amendment Rights\">semi-automatic firearms<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Distinction of military, civilian firearms made during Day 2 of IL gun ban trial<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1763055\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Whether commercially available semi-automatic rifles now banned in Illinois are common or too similar to military grade firearms was the focus of Day 2 of the bench trial of Illinois&rsquo; gun and magazine ban.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>On preliminary grounds, the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state last year, saying commercially available rifles that Illinois banned in January 2023 are too similar to military grade rifles and are able to be regulated.<\/p>\n<p>Now up for final judgment in the Southern District of Illinois federal court, day two of the bench trial was dominated by James Ronkainen, a former longtime engineer and director of firearms development and production for Remington. He said there are material differences between modern sporting rifles and military spec firearms.<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs&rsquo; attorney Thomas Maag explained the impact of his testimony.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The witness explained correctly that there is a distinction in the AR-15 and the M16 lower receivers and internal parts,&rdquo; Maag said after court adjourned for the day Tuesday. &ldquo;You cannot simply put fully automatic parts in a run of the mill semi-automatic AR-15.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He said he&rsquo;s never seen a modified AR-15 &ldquo;in the wild.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ronkainen testified modifying an AR-15 to be full auto would be illegal by federal law and would be dangerous as military spec burst and full auto firearms are built with different and more durable components than commercially available semi-automatic only firearms. He also said he never had any military contract ask for AR-15 or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-gov-jay-inslee-will-not-seek-fourth-term-in-2024\/\" title=\"Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Will Not Seek Fourth Term in 2024\">similar semi-automatic<\/a> only systems, or any AR-15 with bumpstocks or trigger cranks, devices that speed up the rate of fire for semi-automatic firearms.<\/p>\n<p>Litigants also discussed with Ronkainen various reports from the ATF about the numbers of manufactured rifles from more than 80 different manufacturers. The numbers of semi-automatic firearms was illusive as the ATF reports don&rsquo;t indicate the difference between a bolt action and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bail-fund-praised-by-kamala-harris-has-twice-freed-the-same-rioter-he-was-just-charged-again\/\" title=\"Bail Fund Praised By Kamala Harris Has Twice Freed The Same Rioter. He Was Just Charged Again.\">semi-automatic rifle<\/a>, but Ronkainen said just by reviewing numbers from manufacturers that only make modern sporting rifles, there are hundreds of thousands of them produced each year.<\/p>\n<p>Maag said that shows how common such rifles are, and they&rsquo;re not only for police.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As the witness enunciated, if law enforcement are buying all of these firearms, there would be no room in their police stations or their cars to store them all,&rdquo; Maag said.<\/p>\n<p>The state as defendants highlighted in cross examination Ronkainen hasn&rsquo;t worked for Remington since around 2017 and is now a consultant for the firearms industry, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>During cross examination of Ronkainen, the state drilled into the difference between military spec and civilian firearms when considering pounds of pressure to pull the trigger. For military, Ronkainen said the pounds of pressure is higher, or around 6 lbs of pressure, to ensure there is no unintentional trigger pulls. For civilian firearms, the pressure could be as low as 2.5 lbs of pressure.<\/p>\n<p>When the state asked if that means it would take 90 lbs of pressure to fire a 30 round magazine from a civilian firearm, the plaintiffs objected saying that was wrong. The state said it wanted to show the difference in level of fatigue in rapidly firing a civilian firearm versus a military firearm. Ronkainen said that is immaterial.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure the defense understood what a trigger pull was, but overall with what they got I think they did as well as they could,&rdquo; Maag said.<\/p>\n<p>The state has their chance to bring witnesses to testify as early as Wednesday, when the trial resumes in East St. Louis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1763055\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1763055\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Differentiation Between Military and Civilian Firearms Discussed on Day 2 of Illinois Gun Ban Trial (The Center Square)** \u2013 The second day of the bench trial regarding Illinois&#8217; gun and magazine ban centered on whether the semi-automatic rifles that are now prohibited in the state are widely used or too akin to military-grade firearms. Last year, the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled preliminarily in favor of the state, asserting that the commercially available rifles banned in January 2023 bear significant similarities to military-grade models and can be regulated accordingly. As final judgments are awaited in a federal court in Southern Illinois, James Ronkainen, a former engineer and director at Remington, dominated Tuesday&#8217;s proceedings. He testified about key differences between modern sporting rifles and military specifications. Plaintiffs\u2019 attorney Thomas Maag highlighted Ronkainen&#8217;s testimony by stating, \u201cThe witness accurately pointed out distinctions between AR-15s and M16 lower receivers as well as their internal components,\u201d adding that it is not feasible to simply convert a standard semi-automatic AR-15 into a fully automatic weapon. He noted he has never encountered an altered AR-15 outside controlled environments. Ronkainen further explained that modifying an AR-15 for full-auto operation would violate federal law and pose safety risks since military-grade burst or fully automatic firearms utilize different, more robust components compared to civilian semi-autos. He also mentioned he had never received any requests from military contracts for AR-15s or similar systems equipped with bump stocks or trigger cranks\u2014devices designed to increase firing rates for semi-autos.<\/p>\n<p>During discussions with Ronkainen about various ATF reports detailing rifle production from over 80 manufacturers, it became clear that distinguishing between bolt-action and semi-automatic firearms was challenging due to vague reporting standards; however, he indicated there are hundreds of thousands of modern sporting rifles produced annually by manufacturers specializing solely in this category. Maag argued this illustrates how prevalent these rifles have become beyond just law enforcement use: \u201cAs stated by the witness, if police were acquiring all these firearms, there wouldn\u2019t be enough space at their stations or vehicles.\u201d The defense emphasized during cross-examination that Ronkainen has not been affiliated with Remington since around 2017 and currently serves as a consultant within the firearms industry including work with the National Shooting Sports Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>In cross-examining Ronkainen regarding trigger pull pressure differences between military-specification versus civilian firearms\u2014wherein military triggers require approximately six pounds of pressure while civilian ones may need only around 2.5 pounds\u2014the state attempted to illustrate variances in fatigue levels when firing rapidly between both types; however plaintiffs objected when they suggested it would take an unrealistic amount of pressure (90 lbs) to fire a civilian firearm\u2019s magazine quickly\u2014a claim deemed irrelevant by Ronkainen himself.<\/p>\n<p>Maag commented on this exchange saying: \u201cI\u2019m uncertain if they grasped what constitutes trigger pull but overall I believe they performed adequately given their resources.\u201d The trial is set to continue Wednesday when defendants will have opportunities to present witnesses as proceedings resume in East St. Louis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2342728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Guns-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[41121,41122,41123,41120,32076],"class_list":["post-2342727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-civilian-firearms","tag-gun-ban-trial","tag-illinois-gun-laws","tag-military-firearms","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Guns-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}