City Council OK's Daley's New Gun Law

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 2, 2010 5:20PM

Just as was predicted earlier this week, the City Council not only passed Mayor Daley's new gun law, but did so by a unanimous vote of 45-0 just a day after receiving the legislation. The vote finishes off a week that started with the Supreme Court tossing of the city's gun ban. The new restrictions won't make pro-guns proponents very happy. Not that the enforcement of the previous gun ban did a whole hell of a lot of good but the new regulations are so restrictive it's as if MayDay hopes to make the desire to own gun still such a hassle that no one will bother. For starters, it's still illegal to sell guns in the city and puts some hefty financial requirements on gun ownership. According to the Tribune, other restrictions include:

• Chicago residents could register no more than one handgun per month for each qualifying adult in a home.
• Gun training totaling four hours in a classroom and an hour on a firing range is required before getting a permit. But firing ranges are banned, so training would need to be completed outside Chicago.
• To transport a gun, it would have to be "broken down," not immediately accessible, unloaded and in a firearm case.
• Firearms could be possessed only inside the dwelling. It would be illegal to have a gun in the garage, on the front porch or in the yard. Guns also would not be allowed in hotels, dorms and group living facilities.

The new law is likely to face challenges, particularly from the NRA who called some of the above restrictions, "unconstitutional impediments."