04 June 2009

Next Stop: Chicago

Mayor Daley, hang on. The E-ticket ride we are on is about to get bumpy for you. Here we go!

Today, the National Rifle Association asked the United States Supreme Court to strike down strict gun control laws in the Chicago area, setting the stage for another high court battle over Second Amendment protections for gun owners. The NRA wants the court to rule that last year's gun rights decision, Heller, invalidating a handgun ban in the District of Columbia applies as well to local and state laws.

Two contradictory Courts of Appeals rulings will take center state in the debate. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled a few weeks ago that the Second Amendment does apply broadly. That court is considering whether to take another look at a dispute between Alameda County and gun show promoters. The county has been trying to throw the gun show off county property. The Court opinion went so far to say that private ownership of firearms is important for fending off crime, and for protecting neighborhoods and the populace in a time when terrorism may once again visit the U.S. mainland.

In a case now pending before the Supreme Court, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld ordinances barring the ownership of handguns in most cases in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, Ill.

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