Peoria Standard

Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) has taken a stance against the state's new law banning automatic weapons by filing his own lawsuit challenging the law's legality.

Caulkins shared an article from the Herald & Review in a Feb. 4 Facebook post said.

"This is an opportunity now to get the whole state covered," he said in the article. "We should not have 600 people in one county and 1,000 people in another county and 1,100 people in Macon County. This is equal protection. We all should be able to enjoy the rights and the freedoms that are afforded us."

In January, an Effingham County judge issued a temporary restraining order against the state's gun ban, but only for the 866 people involved in the lawsuit filed by attorney Thomas DeVore; a KSDK report said.

Caulkins filed a lawsuit challenging the state law that requires gun owners to register their weapons and outlaws the possession and purchase of certain weapons and magazines, a recent Quad-City Times report said.

But DeVore filed a brief to intervene with Caulkins' lawsuit, alleging that Caulkins' legal defense fund is actually the representative's campaign fund; a recent WGLT report said.

"I find it odd that a politician would solicit funds from citizens for legal defense of a law like this and then have them submit them to his campaign account," DeVore told WGLT.

Caulkins has been a strong opponent of the gun measure, even before it passed in the General Assembly's lame duck session.

"I opposed the firearm ban approved by Democrat lawmakers as I believe without a doubt this is unconstitutional," he said in a statement on his website after the legislation passed.

Caulkins was first elected to the Illinois House in 2018, the General Assembly website said. His legislative experience includes serving on the Public Utilities and Prescription Drug Affordability committees. He resides in Decatur.