Chicago suburb votes to ban ‘assault weapons’ and ‘high-capacity’ magazines

Chicago suburb votes to ban ‘assault weapons’ and ‘high-capacity’ magazines 

On Monday night, the city council of Highland Park, Illinois, voted by a margin of 6-1 to adopt an outright ban on so-called military-style ‘assault weapons’ and ‘high-capacity’ magazines as a means to protect the public and save lives in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Mirrored after Cook County’s own legislation that also bans semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines and certain cosmetic features (pistol grip, barrel shroud, etc.) and 30-round magazines, the new ordinance requires law-abiding gun owners to turn these items over to the police for disposal, remove them from city limits or modify them so that they meet the restrictions under the law

On the other side the debate was Councilman David Naftzger, who not only questioned the ban’s effectiveness but also it’s constitutionality, wondering how much taxpayer money would be spent fighting lawsuits that are likely to be filed by pro-gun organizations in court.

“But there’s no question in my mind about the specter of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars of litigation costs” that the ordinance could generate, Naftzger told the Chicago Tribune.

“Those costs will necessarily have consequences for our city’s spending on public safety measures and other city priorities,” he added.

Yet, the costly and protracted legal battle that will ensue did not bother Highland Park resident Steve Sheffey.

“We in Highland Park should be proud if this ordinance is challenged, and we should be proud that our tax dollars are spent defending an ordinance that was designed to protect our families, our children, and our community,” Sheffey said. “There is no legitimate reason for anyone to own an assault weapon. The sole purpose of assault weapons is to kill people.”