Morton Grove, Ill. Repeals Gun Ban Ordinance

"Morton Grove's landmark handgun ban, imposed 27 years ago, died quietly Monday night, as the suburb's Village Board bowed to a new legal reality and repealed the ordinance.

"The board's 5-1 vote came in response to last month's ruling by a divided U.S. Supreme Court that struck down a similar ban. The high court ruled that the 2nd Amendment protects a person's right to own a firearm for self-defense. Fighting in court to try to keep the law would cost money the village does not have, officials said.

"I appreciate the courage the board [showed] in 1981 in a noble experiment," Trustee Dan Staackmann said. "[But] we don't have the resources to fight this all the way."

It was just that. An experiment. A failed experiment. But politicos there, knowing the ban did nothing to effect crime, still refused to give up their power to keep the city's citizens defenseless.

Instead, it took a watershed court case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court to make them back down, and restore the basic human right of self defense to Morton Grove residents.