Chicago Will Go Against SCOTUS 2A Ruling

The Chicago City Council could consider new gun control measures as soon as Wednesday if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the city’s long-standing handgun ban Monday, Mayor Richard Daley said. Daley, however, declined to provide specifics Friday on how his administration will respond. For months, City Hall has been drawing up plans after the justices heard the case and appeared to indicate they’ll rule against Chicago. “We already have our plans, but we have to wait for the decision just in case they have said something differently in the decision,” Daley said when asked if the council will have a proposal to act on at Wednesday’s meeting.

Daley has discussed several options if the 1982 handgun ban is no longer in effect. Chicago could require firearm owners to purchase insurance and receive training or maintain a registry of how many guns are in particular homes so that police responding to an address will know what they’re up against.

“What do (police) do if you’re pointing a gun at somebody? Is it a violation of a law? You have a right to a gun,” Daley said at a South Side news conference to announce summer activities to keep kids off the streets.

On Friday, Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, suggested the city might be better off without the ban — if other legislation that allowed law-abiding residents to register handguns took its place.

Under the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, handguns could be registered, and a “huge number” were, Burke said. Then the city ban went into effect, and Burke said that led people who felt safer keeping handguns in their homes to begin flouting the law.-[source]