Strict gun control ordinances in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, Il., were upheld yesterday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, reports the Los Angeles Times. The ruling sets the stage for a Supreme Court battle over whether the 2nd Amendment and its protection for gun owners extends to state and municipal laws.
In a 3-0 decision, the judges said they were bound by precedents that held the 2nd Amendment applied only to federal laws. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, joined a three-judge panel in New York that came to the same conclusion. Last week, activists cited that decision in calling her an “anti-gun radical.” Yesterday’s decision in Chicago case was written by Judge Frank Easterbrook and joined by Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer. All three were Republican appointees. One of the lawyers for the Chicago gun owners said he planned to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.