Four days after the Supreme Court gutted Chicago’s longtime handgun ban, the City Council enacted new gun-control measures, says the Chicago Tribune. Alderman voted 45-0 in favor Friday, even as some of them acknowledged how little the restrictions would do to combat violent crime. The rush job is aimed at having new handgun restrictions in place before a lower court can enter a final order to strike down the city’s gun ban.
The ordinance “places reasonable regulations regarding who should and should not be able to possess a handgun in their home for self-defense,” Mayor Richard Daley said. “With this law, we’re supporting adults who legitimately want a gun in their home for self-defense. At the same time, we’re trying to keep guns out of the hands of gangbangers and drug dealers who only want to terrorize our communities.” Several aldermen said the ordinance is more likely to affect law-abiding gun owners than the thugs causing mayhem on hot weekend nights. “You cannot legislate criminals. They are going to be criminals no matter what,” said Alderman Ed Smith. “The people who intend to do crime, they are going to do it in whatever manner they can. They are going to get a gun wherever they can, and they are going to use it. They are not going to register their gun.”