Chicago gun laws, among the strictest in the nation, continue to come under fire and have been forced to evolve amidst ongoing debate and legal decisions regarding the Second Amendment.
Required by a federal judge’s order to allow gun shops, the Chicago City Council reluctantly passed an ordinance in June that allows the stores, but under strict requirements, which Mayor Rahm Emanuel says are the
toughest in the nation, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
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Among the requirements, gun store owners must:
• Videotape every sale to deter straw purchases (when a legal buyer purchases a gun for someone else).
• Submit a safety plan for everything from outdoor lighting to storage of guns and ammunition.
• Require employees to undergo fingerprinting, background checks, and training on identifying potential gun traffickers.
• Maintain a log of gun sales.
• Be located at least 500 feet from schools and parks.
• Limit buyers to one handgun a month.
The ordinance is the latest in series of changes to the city’s gun laws, which began when a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. Chicago struck down the city’s ban on handguns, which had been in place since 1982.
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The gun shop ban was part of an ordinance the city enacted in response to the 2010 Supreme Court ruling. That ordinance allowed handgun ownership, with strict requirements.
Among its requirements, the ordinance:
• Limited residents to no more than one firearm.
• Restricted gun owners from having their firearms outside of their homes.
• Established a two-step process for owning and registering a handgun.
• Required firearm safety training.
• Required gun owners to submit to fingerprinting.
In 2012, a federal appeals court ruled the state’s ban on concealed carry was unconstitutional. Illinois was the last state to allow concealed carry.
Chicago’s restrictions on firing ranges also have come under fire. A federal judge in September struck down some of the city’s restrictions, including rules allowing ranges to operate only in manufacturing districts and limiting firing ranges’ hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The judge upheld other restrictions on firing ranges, such as requiring firing ranges to be at least 500 feet away from schools and hospitals, requiring a range master to be present during operating hours, and construction standards for firing ranges.
This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws of your state and destination before travel.
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