Gun Range Ban in Chicago

[Marlin T]

SAF Wins Injunction v. Chicago Gun Range Ban

July 06, 2011 02:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--In a 3-0 ruling issued this morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has reversed a lower court ruling and ordered that court to issue a preliminary injunction against the City of Chicago on behalf of the Second Amendment Foundation that prevents the city from banning gun ranges inside city limits.

“City governments, no matter how much they abhor the fundamental right of citizens to keep and bear arms, cannot use clever legal devices to prevent the exercise of that right. As Judge Rovner noted, ‘the city must come to terms with that reality’.”

Joining SAF in the original lawsuit were Action Target, Inc., the Illinois State Rifle Association and three Chicago residents, Rhonda Ezell, William Hespen and Joseph Brown. Their attempts to obtain a temporary restraining order against the gun range ban were twice rejected by the district court. The Appeals Court ruling is severely critical of the lower court’s ruling.



“This is a significant victory that could have strong implications well beyond the Chicago city limits,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The court is making it clear that cities cannot adopt firearms ordinances that are so deliberately restrictive that they make it impossible for citizens to exercise their rights under the Second Amendment.”



Immediately after last year’s landmark SAF victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago, the city adopted a handgun ordinance that required special permits and mandated range training, but banned gun ranges inside city limits. The city argued that citizens could fulfill their training requirement by visiting a suburban range. In today’s ruling, written by Judge Diane S. Sykes, the Appeals Court observed, “It’s hard to imagine anyone suggesting that Chicago may prohibit the exercise of a free-speech or religious-liberty right within its borders on the rationale that those rights may be freely enjoyed in the suburbs. That sort of argument should be no less unimaginable in the Second Amendment context.” In a concurring opinion, Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner noted, “…the city may not condition gun ownership for self-defense in the home on a prerequisite that the City renders impossible to fulfill within the city limits.”



“What the city tried to do, as the court ruling noted, was ‘thumb its municipal nose at the Supreme Court’,” Gottlieb stated. “City governments, no matter how much they abhor the fundamental right of citizens to keep and bear arms, cannot use clever legal devices to prevent the exercise of that right. As Judge Rovner noted, ‘the city must come to terms with that reality’.”



The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
Contacts

Second Amendment Foundation
Alan Gottlieb, 425-454-7012

[Juker]

WOW! Two in one week! First the FOID list gets protected, and now this!

[permafrost]

That IS pretty darn amazing!
In the" Anointed One's" home town ,too.

[hogger129]

Move up to Wisconsin. We're about to legalize concealed carry and we have ranges. And we don't jack up income tax and chase people out.

[redwing carson]

The Ill. State Rifle Assoc. is the NRA. Funny only SAF got recognition and finshed with a sales pitch. The NRA had far more Boots on the Ground.

[permafrost]

Originally Posted by hogger129

Move up to Wisconsin. We're about to legalize concealed carry and we have ranges. And we don't jack up income tax and chase people out.

I used to haul swinging beef into Chicago( not fun), but then I went into Wisconsin dairy country for butter or cheese to haul back. That was always enjoyable. You guys have a beautiful state, at least the parts I saw. I could live there.

[hogger129]

Originally Posted by permafrost

I used to haul swinging beef into Chicago( not fun), but then I went into Wisconsin dairy country for butter or cheese to haul back. That was always enjoyable. You guys have a beautiful state, at least the parts I saw. I could live there.

Yeah except for that cr@phole known as Milwaukee. Madison has some bad areas too, but I mean at least they're avoidable.

Some parts of the state are more beautiful than others. My grandpa used to have a cottage up in Eagle River and then I always liked traveling to Manitowoc to spend a weekend golfing.

I like coming to Chicago once in awhile to see the sights, but there are some things I do and don't like about Chicago. I mean it's a liberal cr@phole, but at least you can drive 100mph down the highway. I liked going to the Sears Tower Skywalk. Visited Wrigley Field before. Aunt and uncle used to live in Aurora. I guess it's turned into a trashy place now. And I always liked going to that planetarium place and the aquarium down there.

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Yeah if Illinois isn't your bag, move north of the border to Wisconsin. I have a buddy that lives in Waunakee and his little farmhouse he lives on has a giant hill on it, and half the time we just shoot into the side of the hill. His neighbors are all gun owners too so they don't care. It's probably illegal since we're discharging within Madison city limits, but it's not like anyone cares.

Even here in Dane County, once you get out of the city, there are lots of farms with big open fields. Someday I hope I can afford a big open piece of land and I'm going to take all the dirt from building a house and make a backstop with it.