Shelbyville, IL -(AmmoLand.com)- On October 10, 2016, the City of West Chicago -Development Committee decided against its proposed gun store & range zoning amendment, for the present. This amendment would have virtually banned all gun stores and ranges within the city limits.
IllinoisCarry would like to thank not only our members who were able to express their concerns to the committee Monday evening, but also to those who stood more quietly in support of this work. It is our joint effort that leads to our joint success!
Though not the threat it once was, we will closely monitor the zoning situation as we turn our attention to an onerous Gun Dealer Licensing Ordinance now facing West Chicago.
Among its many provisions, the currently proposed license would hold licensees to a standard no human activity can achieve – complete and utter silence beyond its own boundaries. Rail lines, garbage collection trucks, manufacturing facilities, school playgrounds, and the City’s own water treatment plant are not held to this standard. Neither should any retail operation be expected to accomplish the impossible.
The proposed license further requires any holder of an FFL to obtain a City license whether actively engaged in business or not. It would include FFL’s who simply effect the legal transfer of firearms under Federal law, with no regard to the non-retail nature of this cottage service industry.
Consistent with a distaste for the Second Amendment, the proposal includes gross violations of the Fourth Amendment guarantee of privacy by requiring that video of all activities be made available for City inspection, without court order, even when no wrong doing is suspected.
Inconsistent with the City’s desire for family oriented activities, age restrictions within the ordinance make it virtually impossible to run a gun store as a family business.
The City’s annual license fee far exceeds that for a triennial Federal Firearm License, a fee meant not to augment already exhaustive vetting under Federal Law. This local fee would, instead, act as nothing more than a deterrent to smaller gun stores in West Chicago.
The list of items we oppose is long, far beyond those mentioned above.
Yet, hope remains that the members of the Development Committee will rethink the current provisions with a view toward encouraging new business within West Chicago. They must do this either by abandoning any thought of licenses designed to shutter existing businesses and discourage them from opening, or by abandoning this licensing scheme entirely.
Join us on the IllinoisCarry Forum for continued discussion and updates.
About Illinois Carry:
The IllinoisCarry forum was started in April 2004 as a grassroots online action and discussion forum dedicated to advancing the Right to Carry in IL. We fight the battle for freedom on three fronts: the legislative front, the judicial front, and the electoral front. IllinoisCarry works closely with other organizations in Illinois that are working to protect our 2nd Amendment Rights. We encourage you to register on our forum and join the fight for your 2nd Amendment Rights in Illinois.
For more information, visit: www.IllinoisCarry.com.