Grassroots Movement Outraged on Behalf of Gun Violence Victims in Chicago
U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang has ruled that Chicago’s ordinance prohibiting licensed gun stores from operating in the city is unconstitutional. The court’s decision reportedly cited the city’s failure to prove that banning licensed gun dealers has a significant impact in reducing gun violence. The ruling would also decriminalize many private transfers of firearms between individuals inside city limits.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is shocked that in a densely populated city struggling to keep children safe from gunfire, the court has dealt a serious blow to public safety by essentially encouraging more citizens to arm themselves. We firmly believe that loosening gun legislation is a step in the wrong direction, and we echo the Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, who ‘strongly disagrees’ with this ruling and said in a statement yesterday, “we need stronger gun safety laws, not increased access to firearms within the city.”
In the context of federal loopholes that already make it too easy for criminals to obtain firearms, cities must be allowed to enact local ordinances to curb gun violence, such as Chicago’s ban on gun dealing. Despite the gun lobby’s efforts to chip away at common-sense regulations, we support a city’s right to regulate businesses that profit from selling guns.
Moms Demand Action will support and work with local officials and law enforcement to appeal this ruling. Despite the forces of the DC-based gun lobby to wield influence in Illinois, we will ultimately persevere alongside community leaders who continue the struggle to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
