CBS 2 Chicago wbbm7801059 670 The Score

Local

Mayor Seeks To Tweak Gun Ordinance In Wake Of Court Ruling

View Comments
(credit: ThinkStock)

(credit: ThinkStock)

Don't Miss This
Don't Miss This

Updated 06/25/12 – 1:46 p.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) – Mayor Rahm Emanuel will seek to revise the city’s gun control ordinance, after a federal judge ruled part of the 2010 law is unconstitutional.

The mayor said he will introduce a revision to the gun ordinance at this week’s City Council meeting, permanently banning anyone with a violent felony conviction from getting a city gun permit. Anyone with a violent misdemeanor conviction would face a five-year ban.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore Reports


Last week, U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan struck down a portion of the Chicago Firearm Ordinance that barred anyone convicted of “unlawful use of a weapon” from obtaining a city gun permit. He ruled that section was too vague and unfairly barred people with non-violent gun convictions from ever again owning a firearm in Chicago.

“The Chicago Firearm Ordinance basically provides that anyone convicted of a nonviolent misdemeanor offense relating to a firearm is forever barred from exercising his constitutional right to possess a firearm in his own home for self-defense,” Der-Yeghiayan wrote. “There is something incongruent about a non-violent person, who is not a felon, but who is convicted of a misdemeanor offense of simple possession of a firearm, being forever barred from exercising his constitutional right to defend himself in his own home in Chicago against felons or violent criminals.”

The judge also noted different states define “unlawful use of a weapon” differently; in some states, the crime includes simply carrying a gun in public, in others it includes only firing a weapon, or possessing one with the intent of doing harm.

Der-Yeghiayan ruled in favor of Chicago resident Shawn Gowder, who was denied a city gun permit because of a misdemeanor conviction for unlawful use of a weapon. The judge ruled Gowder’s Second Amendment right to bear arms was violated by being denied a gun permit for a non-violent misdemeanor conviction.

The mayor said the proposed revision to the gun ordinance would do away with the portion banning permits for anyone with a conviction for unlawful use of a weapon, but noted the ordinance is only part of the city’s anti-crime strategy.

“Having strong gun laws is complementary to putting more police on the street, which is also complementary to getting kids into after-school activities or summer camps … to also making sure that you lock up the hard criminals,” Emanuel said.

The existing gun ordinance was passed in 2010, after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed out Chicago’s ban on possessing handguns within city limits, ruling it violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

View Comments
  • http://jeenyuscorner.com/2012/06/25/chicago-mayor-seeks-to-tweak-gun-ordinance-in-wake-of-court-ruling/ Chicago Mayor Seeks To Tweak Gun Ordinance In Wake Of Court Ruling « The Jeenyus Corner

    [...] READ MORE [...]

  • http://theinfowarriors.com/chicago-mayor-seeks-to-tweak-gun-ordinance-in-wake-of-court-ruling/ Chicago Mayor Seeks To Tweak Gun Ordinance In Wake Of Court Ruling

    [...] CBS Chicago June 25, 2012 [...]

  • http://victorspost.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/chicago-mayor-seeks-to-tweak-gun-ordinance-in-wake-of-court-ruling/ Chicago Mayor Seeks To Tweak Gun Ordinance In Wake Of Court Ruling | Victors Post

    [...] CBS Chicago June 25, 2012 [...]

  • http://www.patranella.org/blog/newsworthy-6-29-2012/ Newsworthy 6-29-2012 | Opine Time

    [...] Mayor Seeks To Tweak Gun Ordinance In Wake Of Court Ruling Excerpt: The mayor said he will introduce a revision to the gun ordinance at this week’s City Council meeting, permanently banning anyone with a violent felony conviction from getting a city gun permit. Anyone with a violent misdemeanor conviction would face a five-year ban [...]

blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

RSS Most Popular News

Follow CBS Chicago

Like us on foursquare

RSS Contests & Promotions

  • Win $1,000 In Gas From Hyundai! June 17, 2013
    Enter to win $1,000 in free gas from Hyundai! What’s better than free gas? How about the 2013 Elantra Limited with an EPA-Estimated 38 MPG Highway! 28 City/38 Hwy. EPA Estimates. For comparison only. Actual mileage may vary.
  • Join Hankook Tire To Reel In The Next Big Catch May 20, 2013
    Join Hankook tire to reel in the next great catch! Click here to go to www.TirePrize.com and enter for your chance to win the ultimate fishing excursion in Puerto Rico!
  • Marquette County Convention & Visitors Bureau Post Game Show Giveaway May 10, 2013
    Listen to The Score’s Baseball Post Game Show for your chance to win a $100 lodging gift certificate from the Marquette County Convention & Visitors Bureau!
  • Enjoy Golf’s Best Round With GREY GOOSE Vodka May 1, 2013
    Enjoy Golf’s Best Round this season with GREY GOOSE Vodka! Visit your participating retailer today and purchase one 750 mL or larger bottle of GREY GOOSE Vodka to receive one free round of golf!
WBBM Newsradio 780, Radio Stations & Broadcast Companies, Chicago, IL

Twitter Updates