Chicago Leaders To Fight Supreme Court Ruling on Guns

Mon, 06/28/2010 - 15:52 — admin

Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) called upon the White House and Congress to void a Supreme Court ruling striking down local gun bans.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that local gun owners can challenge local and state courts for violating their Second Amendment rights to bear arms.

“No words can describe the amount of disappointment I feel in today’s Supreme Court ruling,” said Rep. Rush said in a statement. “Chicago has experienced nearly 80 shootings in a two week period and like many other cities, people are under siege by unchecked gun violence. The  White House and the Congress has to quickly step in the void that’s been created by today’s ruling and they must provide meaning constitutional gun legislation a move that will expand the proliferation of guns on our streets and the number of killings on our streets.”

Rush held a press conference in Chicago with civil rights leader Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, and a number of religious, community and civic leaders, at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters, 930 E. 50th Street.

Rush said the Supreme Court's decision has "accelerated the call for 'national state of emergency' in urban cities across the nation."

 The case centered on Otis McDonald, 76, a Chicago resident who filed the suit challenging his right to carry a gun. On NBC Nightly News, he told reporters that now he has right to carry a weapon equal to or better than the ones that potential burglars or robbers use in his neighborhood.
 
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said he, too, was disappointed in the ruling.
 
"Across the country, cities are struggling with how to address this issue. Common sense tells you we need fewer guns on the street, not more guns,” Daley said in a City Hall news conference. “So, we're working to rewrite our ordinance in a reasonable and responsible way to protect 2nd amendment rights and protect Chicagoans from gun violence. We’ll publicly propose our new ordinance soon.”