Second second amendment forum held in Wheaton next week

The second amendment will take center stage in Wheaton for the second time in just a matter of weeks. A group of high school students will be leading a pro-second amendment forum.

The forum is in response to a previous forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters that pushed for the prevention of gun violence, which is often code for "gun control." The original forum, held April 21, was initially aimed at a Wheaton High School group. However, word spread around town and over 200 people turned out to listen to the LWV's message. That message though was lost quickly when event organizers said they would brook no disruption from the crowd and anyone who caused a disruption would be escorted out by police - in other words oppose the groups gun control message and be silenced by the police. The forum, held in a public venue, ended quickly without allowing any public comments.

But now the other side of the argument will get their chance on Tuesday. The featured speaker is a co-coordinator of the Illinois chapter of The Second Amendment Sisters.

The latest forum is being conducted properly. Event organizers are planning on allowing comments from the audience - both those who support or prefer limits, even draconian, on the Second Amendment. That's the right way to engage the community.

The event will be held from 7-9 pm on Tuesday at Wheaton City Hall. It should be interesting.

Misguided judge upholds Chicago's gun ban

So much for the Constitution.

Today a federal judge upheld the city of Chicago's firearms ban. Citizens of Chicago continue to be denied a basic right defended in the Constitution - the right to bear arms.

In a 5-to-4 decision in June, the Supreme Court overturned the D.C. handgun ban on grounds that the Second Amendment establishes the right to own a handgun for personal self-defense. Within hours, Second Amendment supporters filed lawsuits challenging a similar ban in Chicago.

Why do (typically liberal) lawmakers believe that responsible citizens should not be allowed to own a firearm? Is it a lack of trust in people?In his typical style, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley uses straw man arguments to bolster his disdain for firearms. Claiming that his support for a firearms ban would protect police officers, Daley said:

“What does a policeman do when there’s a domestic battery [call] and they’re both armed? Do they enter the home or apartment or do they wait outside?” Daley asked reporters earlier this year.

Fortunately the District Court's ruling will be appealed and chances are the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the lower court's ruling. Even the judge who made the ruling suggested as much. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Judge Milton Shadur said:

"This court should not be misunderstood as either rejecting or endorsing the logic of plaintiff's argument. It may well carry the day before a court that is unconstrained by the obligation to follow the unreversed precedent of a court that occupies a higher position in the judicial firmament," the decision stated.