Highland Park's Assault Weapons Ban Upheld

A federal appeals court has upheld the assault weapons ban in Highland Park.

In a 2-to-1 decision, a panel from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago declared the city’s assault weapons ban constitutional, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Highland Park city council voted to ban assault weapons in 2013, but a local pediatrician joined with the Illinois State Rifle Association in a lawsuit seeking an injunction from it being enforced.

“The 12-page majority opinion says the prohibition doesn’t violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because it leaves would-be gun owners other options,” according to the Tribune. “That includes the option of buying a handgun.”

Judge Daniel A. Manion issued a dissenting opinion. In it, he writes that “the ultimate decision for what constitutes the most effective means of defending one’s home, family, and property resides in individual citizens and not in the government.”

In 2013, passage of the ban engendered a great deal of discussion on Patch.

more via the Chicago Tribune

READ MORE ON PATCH:

Highland Park Woman Shares Holocaust Survivor Stories

Ravinia Festival Tickets On Sale Tuesday

Highland Park-Highwood Legal Aid Clinic To Open Soon