CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined an 18-state coalition in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review, and ultimately overturn, a lower court ruling that would prohibit gun owners from carrying a firearm when crossing state lines.
If left intact, Morrisey says the court ruling would deprive residents of West Virginia and most other states of their right to carry a firearm in Illinois.
“Constitutional rights have no geographic boundary within the United States,” Morrisey said. “Many Americans cherish their Second Amendment rights. That is why we urge the Supreme Court to hear this case and defend this essential personal freedom for lawful gun owners who wish to travel outside of their home state.”
The Illinois law at issue in the case, which is styled Culp v. Raoul, would prohibit out-of-state residents from openly carrying a firearm in public without an Illinois-issued concealed carry license unless they live in a state with firearm laws that are “substantially similar.”
In addition, the Illinois law does not provide out-of-state residents with the opportunity to prove they have no criminal history or history of mental illness, factors that can prevent an individual from lawfully owning a gun or obtaining a concealed carry permit.
West Virginia joined the Missouri-led brief earlier this month with attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.
U.S. Supreme Court case number 19-487
