A federal appeals court has upheld an assault weapons ban in a northern Chicago suburb. In a 2-to-1 decision, a panel from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago declared Highland Park's assault weapons ban constitutional.
The 12-page majority opinion says the prohibition doesn't violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because it leaves would-be gun owners other options. That includes the option of buying a handgun.
Judge Daniel A. Manion issued a dissenting opinion. In it, he writes that "the ultimate decision for what constitutes the most effective means of defending one's home, family, and property resides in individual citizens and not in the government."
The ruling is a defeat for the Illinois State Rifle Association. It's among those that challenged Highland Park's ban.
