Chicago hope: A welcome gun ruling affirms the Second Amendment

Published: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, 9:00p.m. Updated 6 hours ago

Ruling that Chicago's ban on licensed retail gun shops and private firearms transfers is unconstitutional, a federal judge has dealt a stinging, much-needed rebuke to an overreaching city government.

U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang stayed his decision to give Chicago which last year led U.S. cities in homicides time to mull an appeal. But there's no appealing the Second Amendment, which he cited in ruling that Chicago's duty to protect its citizens' safety is outweighed by its obligation to protect their constitutional rights.

It's not the first time that a court has curbed Chicago or Illinois gun-grabbing. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the city's gun ban in 2010. A federal appellate court forced Illinois last holdout among the states to finally allow concealed carry permits last year.

After a federal appellate court struck down the city's gun-range ban in 2012, Chicago used zoning and other regulatory measures to make it difficult for such law-abiding firearms businesses, according to the Chicago Tribune. Besides possibly appealing this latest ruling, the city might try such tactics again.

If it does, Chicago will confirm its anti-gun attitude's underlying tendency: wrongly blaming legal guns, legal firearms businesses and law-abiding gun owners for gun-related violent crime. The latter two should be thankful that this judge and others stand ready to uphold their Second Amendment rights.

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Chicago hope: A welcome gun ruling affirms the Second Amendment