Federal Appeals Court Upholds Strict Illinois Gun Ban
A federal appeals court upheld Illinois's strict ban on high-powered guns, rejecting the argument the law violated the Second Amendment rights of Illinois citizens.
“As we know from long experience with other fundamental rights, such as the right to free speech, the right peaceably to assemble, the right to vote, and the right to free exercise of religion, even the most important personal freedoms have their limits,” Judge Diane Wood, appointed to the appeals court by President Bill Clinton, wrote in the majority opinion. She was joined by Judge Frank Easterbrook, a Reagan appointee.
But the fallacy of Judge Wood's argument is that the Illinois law bans an entire class of weapons: "Government may punish a deliberately false fire alarm; it may condition free assembly on the issuance of a permit; it may require voters to present a valid identification card; and it may punish child abuse even if it is done in the name of religion. The right enshrined in the Second Amendment is no different."
A federal appeals court upheld Illinois's strict ban on high-powered guns, rejecting the argument the law violated the Second Amendment rights of Illinois citizens.
“As we know from long experience with other fundamental rights, such as the right to free speech, the right peaceably to assemble, the right to vote, and the right to free exercise of religion, even the most important personal freedoms have their limits,” Judge Diane Wood, appointed to the appeals court by President Bill Clinton, wrote in the majority opinion. She was joined by Judge Frank Easterbrook, a Reagan appointee.
But the fallacy of Judge Wood's argument is that the Illinois law bans an entire class of weapons: "Government may punish a deliberately false fire alarm; it may condition free assembly on the issuance of a permit; it may require voters to present a valid identification card; and it may punish child abuse even if it is done in the name of religion. The right enshrined in the Second Amendment is no different."