In just over a week, the residents of Deerfield, Illinois, will be required to turn in all:
… semiautomatic rifles with a fixed magazine and a capacity to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, shotguns with revolving cylinders, and conversion kits from which assault weapons can be assembled. And … all the following models or duplicates thereof: AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, Misr, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR, AR-10, AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, Olympic Arms PCR, AR70, Calico Liberty, Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle, Dragunov SVU, Fabrique NationalFN/FAL, FN/LAR, FNC, Hi-Point Carbine, HK-91, Kel-Tec Sub Rifle, SAR-8, Sturm, Ruger Mini-14, and more.
Yes, “sniper rifles” and “assault weapons” right down to the venerable Mini-14 plinker. And the fines for non-compliance are enormous.
This is not the first time Deerfield has made the news for a colossal act of exclusionary prejudice. In the civil rights era, the leafy suburb was called “The Little Rock of the North” for its successful effort to shut down a housing development merely because some homes might be sold to black people. Not only did they halt the development; they snatched up the land for public parks and city officials managed to get their hands on the two model homes that had already been built (at what I’m guessing were bargain rates).
So bigotry is nothing new for the village (and, it seems likely, neither is corruption).
Now, Deerfield’s 18,000 residents are faced with a choice: Turn in their guns or pay fines in the range of $1,000 a day — IF they’re ever caught. What should they do? Or rather, what will they do?
Here’s a poll (with H/T to M):
The first two lawsuits were filed back in April.
Never been to Deerfield, so I can’t really say. There’s an informal military maxim that you should never give an order you know won’t be obeyed. I guess we’ll see how well the BoT knows their residents.
“The first two lawsuits were filed back in April.”
Glad to hear. I’ll see if I can edit the poll to say “sue successfully.”
I recall a similar law passed in California, I’m trying to recall the details but it had to do with SKS rifles. The state permitted the rifles with registration, then changed the law and banned them. A few foolish people did register their rifles, possibly so they’d have something to take to rifle ranges, so the cops had those people’s info. Virtually no rifles were turned in once they were declared verboten.
Legislators said to the state cops, “Go get those guns.” State cops said to the legislators, “YOU go get those guns.”
The whole thing quietly went away.
Not saying that’s what will happen in Deerfield, of course.
It’s an unconstitutional law and no one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law and no courts are bound to enforce it.
Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, approximately 25 miles north of Chicago with a small portion extending into Cook County, Illinois. The population was 18,225 at the 2010 census, a decline of 175 from 2000.
I’m guessing there aren’t that many affected guns in Deerfield to start out with. Unfortunately, everybody who does own one has a FOID.
Joel, if that’s the one in the ’90s I’m thinking of, the idiot legislators wanted a ban. That was when I first noted thar they should consider the ramifications of kicking in thousands of doors because the residents are well-armed. The head of the biggest police union declared if they passed it, they’d see the largest outbreak of blue flu in history. So they went with registration. For then.
“the venerable Mini-14 plinker”
But that’s my rifle of choice. Little woman likes little guns. And it’s never assaulted anyone, except one coyote looking to eat my poodles, and that coyote was given every opportunity to leave the area before the final straw. I’m glad I’ve never had any desire to even visit, let alone live in, Illinois.
my guess is compliance will be effectively zero ( a lot of people might assume it’s a setup of some kind), the police probably don’t want to deal with it, so it will just quietly fade away.
> it will just quietly fade away.
Leaving the law still on the books as a future land mine.
Being involved with some of the local Patriot types here in WI, we are getting news the folks in IL are looking to do an open carry march down to the city hall on the meeting after the ban takes effect… We shall see. Already seeing the exodus from the Socialist Republic
[…] blog of the day is Living Freedom, with a post wondering what Deerfield will do on their gun […]
I’ve seen several articles in the last 6 months or so about folks fleeing Illinois. The wildly increasing property taxes are the last straw for many of them.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-illinois-exodus-population-taxes-20180328-story.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-mcqueary-opinion-illinois-population-0105-20180104-story.html
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/story/home-is-where-the-hurt-is-how-property-taxes-are-crushing-illinois-middle-class/
Update: Restraining order issued.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2018/06/daniel-zimmerman/breaking-judge-issues-restraining-order-blocking-deerfield-il-assault-weapons-ban/
Thank you, M!
Reasoning concerning the Deerfield Suit: http://reason.com/volokh/2018/06/13/deerfield-illinois-gun-confiscation-law