Gun Bans

            The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns the Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. Even though the federal government has not banned AR-15s, several local governments have.

            The Daily Wire reports that leaders in the village of Deerfield, Illinois, recently passed a unanimous law to ban semi-automatic rifles. Included in the ban are pistols and shotguns “with certain features.” Magazines with higher capacity than 10 rounds of ammunition were also banned.

The ban passed Monday night outlaws any weapon the village leaders deem “assault weapons,” including AR-15s. But the ban also includes “semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns with certain features….

The new ordinance takes effect June 13. Residents who still have banned weapons after that date face up to $1,000 fines per day.

The new ordinance was modeled on a ban put in place in Highland Park, Illinois, which went to the United States Supreme Court. The high court let a lower court ruling allowing the ban stand.

            The powers that be in Deerfield believe that the State of Illinois and eventually the federal government can be swayed if enough communities ban this type of weapon. The opponents do not sound like they are willing to let this ban stand.

            Apparently, Deerfield has not had a heavy crime problem, and opponents do not see this gun ban making the community any more crime free. Opponents fear that this is only a beginning and that more restrictive laws will be passed in the future.

            It will be interesting to see what happens in Deerfield’s future because the village is located only 23-27 miles from Chicago with travel time between 30-45 minutes. With the crime problem in Chicago, I wonder how long this crime would take to move to Deerfield when the criminals learn there are no weapons to stop them.