Source: Darren Bailey on X

Illinois Republican congressional candidate Darren Bailey posted a series of fiery social media posts saying he will not comply with the Illinois Communities Act, an assault weapons regulation bill which went into effect on Monday.

The former GOP gubernatorial nominee posted an X video Monday of him using multiple assault weapons on his family farm to shoot at a homemade “I Will NOT Comply” target. His caption references Jason Aldean’s 2023 hit song “Try That in a Small Town,” which many critics argued is a pro-lynching anthem given its promotion of violence and its music video taking place at a historical lynching site.

Bailey also posted a picture last Sunday of himself working on a puzzle with two assault rifles on within arm’s reach on the table.

“I’ll be here putting together this puzzle waiting for Pritzker to knock on my door and take my guns away. I will not comply,” Bailey’s caption says.

The assault weapons bill was signed into law by Bailey’s former gubernatorial opponent Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazine ban into law last January, and it went into effect despite Republican-led efforts to kill the legislation through the Supreme Court of the United States. Under the new law, citizens who already owned assault weapons and other items listed in the legislation were required to submit an endorsement affidavit.

Despite Bailey’s insistence on someone coming to take his guns away, the Illinois Communities Act does not require owners of assault weapons to give their guns away to the government or anyone at all.

Last August, when the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the ban, Bailey posted to Facebook Live that he would “die on this front porch” to oppose it.

Before he ran for governor in 2022, Bailey served one term each in the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. In July, Bailey announced his run for the Illinois’ 12th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.