Evanston aldermen Monday postponed a vote on changes to the city’s weapons ordinance after speakers from anti-gun violence groups asked for time to meet with the city’s legal staff and develop more restrictive legislation.
The National Rifle Association sued Evanston and other Illinois communities with gun bans after the U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled a gun ban in Washington, D.C. is unconstitutional.
In response the city’s legal staff drafted a new ordinance that would let most residents keep guns in their homes, but ban possession of most guns by minors and of all guns by narcotics addicts, mental patients, the mentally retarded and persons under 21 years of age with criminal records.
Although the text of the draft ordinance appears to allow transportation of handguns only by state-licensed gun collectors and a few other narrow categories of citizens, Police Chief Richard Eddington told aldermen during the Public Works Committee meeting that any resident who could legally possess a gun could also transport it as long as it was broken down or in a case and unloaded.
During the committee meeting Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, also urged that the city amend its zoning ordinance to forbid the establishment of gun shops in the city.
The aldermen plan to next discuss the gun ordinance at the Administration and Public Works Committee meeting on Aug. 11.
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