A federal judge ruled on Monday that Chicago's blanket ban on all sales and transfers of firearms is unconstitutional, CNN reported. U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang stayed his ruled in order to give the city time to file an appeal.
"The stark reality facing the City each year is thousands of shooting victims and hundreds of murders committed with a gun. But on the other side of this case is another feature of government: certain fundamental rights are protected by the Constitution, put outside government's reach, including the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense under the Second Amendment. Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms," wrote Chang.
"But the flat ban on legitimate sales and transfers does not fit closely with those goals," Chang added.
The FBI's latest annual crime report "showed Chicago had 500 homicides in 2012, up from 431 in 2011 and more than any other American city," as reported by CNN.
