Chicago Moves Forward with New Gun Ban

Although, the Supreme Court's recent ruling made the Chicago's ban on handguns unenforceable, the Chicago city council quickly enacted a whole new set of gun-control measures.

Part of the rush is to get restrictions in place before a lower court can enter a final order to formally strike down the city's gun ban, the Chicago Tribune reports.

As previously discussed, Chicago's long-standing handgun ban was under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, which invalidated the ban under the Second Amendment in the McDonald v. Chicago case.

The new ordinance would require owners to register guns and receive safety training.

It will take effect in 10 days.

The ordinance also:

• Limits the number of handguns residents can register to one per month and prohibit residents from having more than one handgun in operating order at any given time.
• Requires residents in homes with children to keep them in lock boxes or equipped with trigger locks.
• Prohibits people from owning a gun if they were convicted of a violent crime, domestic violence or two or more convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Residents convicted of a gun offense would have to register with the police department.
• Calls for the police department to maintain a registry of every handgun owner in the city, with the names and addresses to be made available to police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders.

Chicago's new ordinance is similar to laws passed in Washington D.C. after the high court struck down its ban two years ago, which requires gun owners to go through a step-by-step process including five hours of safety training and undergo criminal background checks every six years.

Related Resources:

• Illinois: Chicago Tries Again With Gun Ordinance (New York Times)
• High Court Hears Challenge to Chicago Handgun Law  (FindLaw)
• State Gun Control Laws (FindLaw)