Lawsuit field to overturn Deerfield assault weapons ban

By John Dempsey, WLS-AM News

(CHICAGO)  A lawsuit has been filed against the village of Deerfield after the suburb voted this week to ban assault weapons.   The Chicago Tribune reports that Deerfield resident Daniel Easterday filed the suit along with the Illinois State Rifle Association, and the Bellevue, Washington based Second Amendment Foundation, which says its membership includes Deerfield residents.​

On Monday the Deerfield village board unanimously outlawed the possession, sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines within the village.

The suit says Deerfield does not have the authority to ban assault weapons under a 2013 state law.

Under the law, known as the Illinois Concealed Carry Act, local municipalities had a ten day window in 2013 in which to ban assault weapons before the law was amended to say that “regulation of the possession or ownership of assault weapons are exclusive powers and functions of the state.”

In that window, the city of Highland Park did enact a ban on assault weapons.

That ban has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, however the lawsuit against Deerfield says the village chose not to ban assault weapons during that ten day window, and therefore cannot do it now.

Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal has said she decided to ban assault weapons after 17 people were massacred at at Parkland Florida high school on February 14th.

Read the entire Chicago Tribune story here.

 

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