Well, if you live in Deerfield, Illinois, a new law is going into effect on June 13: a ban on so-called assault weapons, which carries a $1,000/day fine if current owners of AR-15s don’t remove them from the village limits. Of course, retired law enforcement is exempt. The city ordinance also bans high-capacity magazines (via Chicago Tribune):
The Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved a ban on certain types of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, amending a 2013 ordinance that regulated the storage of those items.
The new ordinance prohibits the possession, sale and manufacturing of certain types of assault weapons and large capacity magazines within the village, according to the ordinance. One change from the law as it was originally discussed exempts retired police officers from the ban, according to Village Manager Kent Street.
Violations carry a fine of between $250 and $1,000 per day, according to Matthew Rose, the village attorney. He said the fine is levied each day until there is compliance.
[…]
In the ordinance, the definition of an assault weapon includes, among others, semiautomatic rifles that have a fixed magazine with a capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition; shotguns with a revolving cylinder; and semiautomatic pistols and rifles that can accept large-capacity magazines and possess one of a list of other features. Among the dozens of specific models cited are the AR-15, AK-47 and Uzi, according to the ordinance.
So, it’s really a gun ban. In the ordinance, their definition of high capacity is “any ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more then ten rounds.” So, forget the definitions of what a so-called assault weapon is; this is a gun ban. Expand that list to include most handguns, besides revolvers, 1911s, and some carry guns. This is what we’re talking about, folks. We know the anti-gun Left is saying we don’t want to ban guns or repeal the Second Amendment; we just want common sense gun laws. Well, this is the end result, forcing law-abiding residents to either move, which isn’t an option for a lot of people, or turn their guns over. Destroying them is also an option, as is selling/transferring them out of the village. This is what happens when you give these people an inch, they do take a mile. They take several hundred miles. The Supreme Court gave them the green light when they refused to hear arguments against the neighboring Highland Park assault weapons ban ordinance. There was no debate when this ordinance was brought up for a vote and many residents also knew the end game:
Though the trustees had virtually no debate Monday night, more than 70 people attended the meeting. Of the 20 people who spoke, 14 were opposed to the ordinance and six supported it. Eight of 14 people who expressed opposition to the ban said they lived outside Deerfield.
Opponents of the ban like Larry Nordal of Deerfield cited their rights under the Second Amendment and expressed fear that more restrictive laws would be passed in the future.
“The ordinance to store firearms was only passed for one reason,” Nordal said. “That was to have an amendatory vehicle that could be used in the future for just this purpose so you could banish assorted firearms in the future. First it’s going to be assault rifles. (There will be) new bans in the future. It’s just a matter of time.”
This is why we need to hold the line, and why the Supreme Court now needs to step in to hear arguments on assault weapons bans. They’re now not just including rifles that are scary. It’s pretty much all firearms—and they’re imposing crushing fines and quasi-confiscation on law-abiding Americans who are exercising the constitutional right to own guns. The NRA is joining a lawsuit against this ordinance. This needs to be struck down.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member