On June 26, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is introducing an ordinance that implements stiff fines for the possession of guns in “school safety zones.” These are zones that students travel through on their way to school.
According to the Chicago-Sun Times, the penalties would be structured so that a first offense would lead to a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 and a mandatory 30 days in jail; a second offense would be $5,000 to $15,0000 and a mandatory three months in jail; a third offense would be $10,000 to $20,000 and “a mandatory six-month jail term.”
The ordinance would also ban any other type of “dangerous weapon” and even the possession of ammunition in such zones.
One of the questions surrounding this ordinance is how it will work once concealed carry laws are implemented in Illinois. The state legislature passed concealed carry with a veto-proof majority on May 31, so it’s only a matter of time until law abiding citizens are carrying firearms for self-defense.
Will a law-abiding permit holder be banned from possessing a gun in one of these many new gun-free zones?
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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