Federal judge rules Chicago ban on handgun sales unconstitutional

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

In a win for gun dealers, a federal judge has declared unconstitutional Chicago’s ban on the sale of handguns within the city limits.

U.S. District Court Judge Edmond E. Chang wrote in a 35-page opinion that “Chicago’s ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms . . .”

Chang stayed his judgment until the city can file a motion to argue that the judgment should be delayed until the appeals process is completed.

City of Chicago attorneys argued that it needed to ban the sale of handguns within the city because it wanted to restrict criminals’ access to licensed dealers; restrict gun acquisition in the illegal market; and eliminate gun shops, which are dangerous in themselves and cannot be properly regulated.

A civil rights victory! This was a major defeat for the Rahm Emanuel-Alderman Ed Burke- Fred Roti wing of the Democrat party.