First American City to ban handguns in 1981 repeals ban

[Lewisburg]

Morton Grove, Illinois repeals 27-year-old gun ban

By Robert Channick | Special to the Chicago Tribune 11:07 PM CDT, July 28, 2008

Morton Grove's landmark handgun ban, imposed 27 years ago, died quietly Monday night, as the suburb's Village Board bowed to a new legal reality and repealed the ordinance.

The board's 5-1 vote came in response to last month's ruling by a divided U.S. Supreme Court that struck down a similar ban. The high court ruled that the 2nd Amendment protects a person's right to own a firearm for self-defense.

Fighting in court to try to keep the law would cost money the village does not have, officials said.

"I appreciate the courage the board [showed] in 1981 in a noble experiment," Trustee Dan Staackmann said. "[But] we don't have the resources to fight this all the way."

Trustee Georgianne Brunner cast the lone vote against the repeal. "We may be acting a little bit in haste," she said. "I'm just grateful for what they did in 1981, and I wish we could just take a step back and wait it out."

Morton Grove adopted the nation's first ordinance banning the possession of handguns in 1981, triggering a storm of publicity and a nationwide debate over the merits of using local ordinances to control gun ownership. The ordinance was upheld in 1984 by the Illinois Supreme Court.

The move to repeal the ban attracted little controversy, Village Administrator Joe Wade said. Only a few residents came to a meeting earlier this month, when the repeal was first on the agenda. The opinions were fairly evenly split, Wade said.

"Really, there hasn't been too much interest in the community," Wade said.

Morton Grove was among Illinois communities sued by the National Rifle Association the day after the Supreme Court decision was announced. Officials said the impetus for the repeal was the court's decision, not the suit.

At the Morton Grove meeting, Peggy Friewer, 56, who said her father was mayor when the ban was enacted, told the board that she was "very saddened that you would even consider amending the ordinance.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,5742213.story

[pex]

Wowsa! That's turning the tides.