27 June 2008

Heller Opinion Prompts Illinois Town To Drop Ban

The city of Wilmette, Ill. has suspended enforcement of its 19-year-old handgun ban as a result of the Heller decision handed down yesterday, which city officials said appears to be invalid due to the Supreme Court opinion.

"The Law Department and the Police Department have suspended enforcement of the ordinance pending further review by the Village Board," Wilmette village attorney Tim Frenzer said Thursday. "Based on the decision today, at a minimum
it calls into serious question the continued viability of the ordinance."
Good. Law directors in cities around the nation have got to be realizing that Heller has teeth, and willy-nilly, feel-good ordinances designed to do nothing but garner votes, though they were sold as a means to fight crime, are going to be difficult -- if not impossible -- to defend. Americans, in the wake of 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, even if they don't understand their 2A rights, saw first-hand how not being armed in the face of crime and lawlessness puts them at a distinct disadvantage.

City officials in Wilmette saw the writing on the wall and acted.

No comments: