OFF THE WIRE
Today a federal court judge in Chicago struck down the city's ban on the sale of firearms within the city limits as a violation of the Second Amendment. The lawsuit, filed by Illinois firearms dealers and gun owners, challenged the constitutionality of city ordinances that ban virtually all sales and transfers of firearms inside the city's limits. The judge said that the Second Amendment includes "the right to acquire a firearm, although that acquisition right is far from absolute . . . But Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms. . ." Said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. "This is an important decision because the court recognized that the lawful commerce in firearms, in which NSSF members are engaged, is protected by the Second Amendment."