SCOTUS knocks down Chicago gun ban; local pols talk legalized pot as answer to violence

Ravenswood resident and Libertarian candidate for Lt. Governor Ed Rutledge, said the Chicago ban on handgun ownership did not address the root cause of violence. Credit: Patrick Boylan

Laws in Chicago and Oak Park, Ill. restricting the ownership of handguns were overturned by the US Supreme Court in a decision announced this morning. In its 214 page, 5-4 decision, the court noted that Chicago and Oak Park had effectively banned handgun possession, infringing on a fundamental right to self-defense.

The court decided that the right of an individual to self-defense is a central component of the Second Amendment and noted that handguns are the preferred firearm to keep and use for protection of one’s home and family.

The court decision puts the Second Amendment clearly into the same category as other rights in the Bill of Rights. Proponents of the city’s ordinance had wanted the Second Amendment carved out as applying to the Federal Government only.

Libertarian candidate for Illinois Lt. Governor and Ravenswood resident Ed Rutledge criticized the Chicago ban. The ban was aimed at curbing violence, Rutledge said. He said the ban had not addressed violence noting the number of shootings on a previous weekend.

This was a matter taken into account by the court too, which noted “Chicago Police Department statistics reveal that the City’s handgun murder rate has actually increased since the ban was enacted and that Chicago residents now face one of the highest murder rates in the country and rates of other violent crimes that exceed the average in comparable cities.”

Rutledge blamed the increased violence on criminals trying to defend drug turf. Rutledge said the state needs to address the root cause of violence and reconsider the criminalization of marijuana, urging the state to legalize pot, perhaps on the model of California or Colorado.

“We need to cut off the financial motivation for gangs to protect their turf by ending Illinois’s participation in the failed war on drugs,” Rutledge said. “By cutting off gang finances, and by offering kids an educational escape hatch, we will be taking proactive steps towards a safer society.”

The call for legalization of marijuana in Illinois has caught the attention of major party politicians too. The Chicago Reader reports that Illinois State Representatives John Fritchey (D) and LaShawn Ford (D) criticized the city’s focus on gun control as the only answer to violence. Early this spring the two representatives called on the state to put the National Guard on call to combat Chicago violence.

Fritchey, the Reader reports, put the issue of legalization on the table as something the state has to consider if it is serious about fighting violence. Fritchey, a resident of DePaul West and candidate for Cook County Board, did not respond to a request for an interview by the Bulldog.

Illinois State Representative John Fritchey, a resident of DePaul West, has called for the Illinois National Guard to be used to combat street violence. In a recent press conference he suggested marijuana laws could be at the heart of urban violence.

The movement of the argument from control of violence to something else was not just isolated to legalization of pot. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D), in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, now says his primary goal is to protect the lives of first responders, including police and firefighters. “We have to have some type of registry,” Daley told the Tribune. “If a first responder goes to an apartment, they need to know if that individual has a gun.”

Daley had dismissed Ford and Fritchey’s National Guard suggestion, telling the legislators they should be focused on getting tougher gun control laws passed in Springfield. “This is all about guns,” Daley is quoted by the Reader as saying.

The Tribune indicated, in its report, Daley would move quickly to replace the law with new gun restrictions. The Reader says the Police and Fire Committee of Chicago City Council, which meets Tuesday afternoon, will have a firearms ordinance ready for full council consideration on Wednesday.

Fifth Congressional District Congressman Mike Quigley (D) said he was “disappointed and disheartened” by the court’s decision. Quigley, a resident of  Lakeview, used the decision to call for restrictions and regulation of weapons sales at gun shows.

Related posts:

1. Opinion: Calling in the National Guard is not the answer; Adam Robinson
2. Giddings property sale one of most expensive in Lincoln Square: Chicago Real Estate Local
3. Unique Eye: What we Talk About When we Talk About Spring 2; Christopher Hiltz
4. Ravenswood 5K attracts thousands in support of local efforts

Tags: Chicago Gun Ban, Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Ed Rutledge, John Fritchey, LaShawn Ford, Marijuana decriminalization, Mike Quigley, Richard Daley

This entry was posted on June 28, 2010 at 2:11 pm and is filed under Neighborhood News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.