Wednesday, July 30, 2008

They're Running Scared!

They're Running Scared!

From July 30, 2008 Law.com:
In 1981, Morton Grove, Ill., a quiet northern Chicago suburb, made history by becoming the first municipality in the nation to ban the possession of handguns.
Twenty-seven years later, Morton Grove has repealed its law, bowing to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that affirmed homeowners' right to keep guns for self-defense.
It's one of several Illinois communities -- reluctant to spend money on legal fights -- rushing to repeal their gun bans after the court struck down a Washington, D.C., ban, even as cities such as Chicago and San Francisco stand firm.
...
Gun rights advocates hailed the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision affirming that individuals have a right to own guns and keep them in their homes for self-defense.
The National Rifle Association and others carried their enthusiasm straight to federal court, suing the city of Chicago and Mayor Richard Daley, a vocal supporter of gun control, and the Chicago suburbs of Morton Grove, Evanston and Oak Park.
Wilmette, another northern Chicago suburb, voted to repeal its ban. Officials there said they believe they weren't sued by the NRA because the village stopped enforcing its 1989 ban after the high court ruling.
"In my mind we had to repeal," said Wilmette Village President Chris Canning, who is also a lawyer. "I knew that our ordinance would not survive constitutional scrutiny."
Todd Vandermyde, an NRA lobbyist in Illinois, said communities working to repeal their gun bans simply see the writing on the wall.
"Some communities are truly seeing what is contained in the Supreme Court decision and they're reacting appropriately," Vandermyde said.
"Others want to spend taxpayer money on some Don Quixote-type quest," he said, referring to Chicago, whose lawyers insist the city's ban will withstand any legal challenges.
Keep in mind that if every city with such a ban repealed it, we would have a more difficult time in court. You have to have an actual controversy--an actual legal dispute--to get the Supreme Court to make a decision. I'm glad that Chicago is being obstinate about this--it will just make it easier to get the Second Amendment incorporated against the states.

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