.45 ACP illegal for civilians in Chicago?

[AEA]

I was doing some looking around gunsamerica today (bad move).......

Noticed one of the Robertson's Trading Post Ads (he has many).

It was a .45 ACP pistol and in the description it stated:
"Not eligible for transfer to civilians in Chicago. .45 ACP ammunition is prohibited for civilians in Chicago."

This is the first time I have heard anything like this. Is it true? And, if it is ture, is the NRA all over this like they should be? Meaning: .45 ACP is one of the most common pistol rounds used in the United States. Not to mention that Chicago does not have the right to outlaw this ammo.

If this is allowed to continue in Chicago, it won't be long before it is the same in Austin!

[seamusTX]

I don't know the current state of firearms law in Chicago. It has been illegal for ordinary citizens to acquire a new handgun there since 1983. It wouldn't surprise me if they had banned ammunition as well.

There is a significant difference between Illinois law and Texas law. In Illinois, cities and counties with more than a certain population can create regulations that are stricter than state law. Two cities currently have handgun bans, and Cook County (the county that Chicago is in) has an "assault weapons" ban that is similar to the expired federal law.

This kind of thing is going to continue until the U.S. Supreme Court declares that the 2nd amendment applies to states. Even then, states and localities will probably still be able to restrict types of weapons and ammunition.

Subdivisions of government in Texas are generally prohibited from regulating firearms by the state constitution and law.

- Jim

[joe817]

NRA has sued Chicago for their denial of 2A rights to their citizens, and is taking it to SCOTUS:

"This Seventh Circuit opinion upholds current bans on the possession of handguns in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois."

http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsRel ... x?ID=12549" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jimlongley]

The Chicago restriction is based on Chicago's rule that pistol ammunition cannot be sold in the city, or even Cook County, because it is pistol ammunition and since pistols are illegal within city and county limits, the ammo is not allowed to be sold.

There are no gun stores within the city limits anyway, and I don't believe there are any in Cook County, so the only way to get .45ACP ammo would be to mail order it, or buy it at one of the nearby suburban stores.

Since even ammo purchases require display of a FOID, tracking down who bought and lived where is not a problem, the IL State Police almost routinely do so and Richie Daley's minions have used those purchases to "prove" criminal activity by gun shop owners among others.

When I lived in IL I knew several Chicago residents who kept guns they owned at shooting ranges and clubs outside the city, and therefore had need for .45ACP ammo, but even they could not have it mail ordered to them.

BTW, Chicago's reasoning is somewhat flawed, there are several long guns chambered for .45ACP, but they don't care.

[AEA]

Thanks guy's.......

As long as the NRA is on top of it all that's fine.

I had not heard that .45 stuff before that's all.

[wheelgun1958]

If you're not in the military and subject to the UCMJ, you are a civilian.

[C-dub]

If you're not in the military and subject to the UCMJ, you are a civilian.

That's a good answer to another thread a while back.

[HankB]

Since even ammo purchases require display of a FOID, tracking down who bought and lived where is not a problem, the IL State Police almost routinely do so and Richie Daley's minions have used those purchases to "prove" criminal activity by gun shop owners among others.

Unless the law has changed since I lived there, ammo sales are not recorded; display of the Illinois FOID is sufficient to make a purchase.

When I lived there, a Chicagoan with an FOID could legally go into a suburb and purchase anything that's legal under Illinois law - there is no violation unless he brings the "prohibited" firearm back into the city, and IL State Police had better things to do than enforce petty local laws.

While I have reason to believe a lot of good people are not obeying Daley's edicts, I've heard that quite a few Chicagoans have safety deposit boxes in banks outside the city limits.

[lonewolf]

Sounds like a business opportunity. Suburban gun safe depositories outside the city limits of Chicago. Why should banks make all they money? Armed security on site 24/7, high def surveillance video equipment all around, open a rifle/pistol range right next door........combined with a gun store......

Darn. It gets COLD up there.......

[seamusTX]

Ranges in that area often have lockers or safe storage.

At one time there were something like five Chicago cities that had handgun bans. Most changed their laws when Heller was handed down, or earlier when citizens convinced the city council that such laws are worse than useless.

- Jim