FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2013, file photo, Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent Alfonsa Wysinger, second from left, speaks at a news conference in Chicago with a display of recently seized guns, part of the 574 that had been seized in the city since Jan. 1. The mounting homicide toll in President Barack Obama’s hometown has giving ammunition to both sides in the nation’s debate about gun rights and safety. On Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, a federal judge in Chicago potentially opened a new market to gun dealers after ruling as unconstitutional Chicago ordinances that aim to reduce gun violence by banning their sale within the city's limits. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
January 06, 2014 - 3:44 PM
CHICAGO - A federal judge has ruled that Chicago's ban on the sale of firearms is unconstitutional.
Judge Edmond E. Chang issued his ruling Monday in a lawsuit by the Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers and three Chicago residents.
Chang noted Chicago's ban not only covers federally licensed firearms dealers, but also gifts among family members, all in the name of reducing gun violence.
Chang said a fundamental duty of government is to protect its citizens. However, he said it's also obligated to protect fundamental rights named in the Constitution, including the right to keep and bear arms for self-defence.
The judge said Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014