Reacting to Tuesday’s oral arguments in the challenge of the state’s assault weapons ban, attorney general Kwame Raoul (pictured) is not only confident … he’s openly questioning the plaintiff’s legal strategy.

“Perhaps strategically, unlike others who have challenged this act,” Raoul said after the hearing, “they chose not to plead a Second Amendment case, so there’s no reason for the Supreme Court to go to that issue”

The plaintiff, State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), is not in the mood to predict.

“They asked some very tough, pointed questions of the parties in our case, and we’ll see,” Caulkins said. “As the old saying goes, you don’t want to prejudge any trial, particularly the Supreme Court, what they’re going to do.”

Caulkins said he filed the suit as a private citizen, not as a lawmaker; however, he is never not a lawmaker.

Caulkins did ask that two justices – recipients of million-dollar campaign donations – recuse themselves. They didn’t.