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Handgun Ordinance Chronology
1917, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2008
Ordinance Text
1917
Illinois Supreme Court decision states that a city may ban the sale of firearms; decision successfully upheld in 1967.
1980
October 1980
Geoff La Gioia applies for a business license to open a gun store.
1981
April 30, 1981
Poll run in Pioneer Press's suburban papers on gun control shows overwhelming support for handgun legislation.
May 1981
Application under consideration by Village Board; controversy erupts not over banning sale of handguns in the Village but over banning possession of handguns.
May 11, 1981
Morton Grove Village Board of Trustees vote to draw up an ordinance to ban the sale of handguns in the Village; ordinance proposed by Trustee Neil Cashman.
June 8, 1981
In addition to passing the ordinance prohibiting the sale of handguns in Morton Grove by a 5-1 vote, Morton Grove Village Board of Trustees vote to ban possession of handguns by a vote of 4-2.
June 8, 1981
Amendment proposed by Joan Dechert to the ordinance also passes stating that any guns surrendered to Village police will be held for five years in case of reversal of ban by court action.
June 9, 1981
Resident Victor Quilici files suit in Cook County Circuit Court contesting the ordinance.
July 1981
A second case -- a federal civil rights suit, supported by the Second Amendment Foundation -- is filed by four residents in Cook County Circuit Court seeking relief under the Second Amendment.
August 1981
A third case filed in the state courts by Morton Grove residents, with the support of the National Rifle Association, claims the ordinance violates the Illinois Constitution.
August 24, 1981
Original date set for ban to become effective (September 6, 1981) is postponed in midst of court debates.
October 1981
Village signs contract with ABC for rights to produce a documentary on the handgun legislation issue.
December 29, 1981
U.S. District Court (Judge Bernard Decker) rules that the handgun ordinance did not violate the United States Constitution; Decker rules on three consolidated suits that had been filed by residents on the federal level.
1982
January 1982
Challengers of the handgun ban hope to put off enforcement by seeking a court order for a stay on enforcement; Village Trustees vote to begin enforcement February 1 at the January 11 Board meeting.
Two of three plaintiff groups file appeals in Appellate Court challenging U. S. District Court Judge Bernard Decker's ruling upholding Morton Grove's ban on the possession of handguns.
January 29, 1982
Cook County Circuit Court (Judge Albert Green) rules in favor of the Village ordinance banning possession of handguns; appeal is filed almost immediately in Illinois Appellate Court.
February 1, 1982
Handgun ban becomes effective in Morton Grove, the nation's first community to approve such legislation.
February 9, 1982
State Supreme Court Justice Seymour Simon takes under consideration whether to allow the NRA-backed suit filed in the state appellate court system to move directly to the Illinois State Supreme Court bypassing the appellate process; a decision in the State Supreme Court would be helpful to the United States Court of Appeals where the first case is pending.
February 1982
Village Trustees receive $17,000 from ABC for preliminary rights to a docudrama on the handgun controversy; money has been deposited into the Village's general corporate fund and is to be used for a variety of village expenses, such as legal fees incurred in various court cases and appeals. Funds given to Trustees for the rights to use their names have been turned over to the Village for the same purposes.
April 1982
Illinois General Assembly rejects the preemption bill (of home rule) which would have wiped out Morton Grove's ordinance banning possession of handguns.
Herman's Sporting Goods in Golf Mill Shopping Center refuses to sell handguns to two Morton Grove residents in view of the risk of prosecution under state law.
April 16, 1982
Decision is handed down that the federal appeal hearing will not be postponed while the case makes its way through the Illinois State Supreme Court system.
June 1982
Survey on handguns conducted by Northwestern University, in conjunction with Pioneer Press, reveals overwhelming support ( 51-63%) in favor of the handgun ban, but also indicates that guns remain in about 1,600 Morton Grove homes.
June 14, 1982
Board rejects proposal by Trustee Richard Hohs to let residents vote on whether they agree with the one-year-old handgun ban; proposal based on petition with 1,400 signatures, presented by Morton Grove resident William Blameuser.
June 28, 1982
Resident William Blameuser files a petition in the Cook County Circuit Court seeking an injunction against the Village which would forward the "question" and place the issue on the November 2 ballot.
August 26, 1982
Village Board of Trustees meets to consider resident Beulah Anthony's objection to Blameuser's petition; Board rules in favor of Anthony's objection; referendum effort fails.
September 13, 1982
Evanston City Council decides by a 10-7 vote to ban the ownership of handguns in the City of Evanston; ordinance to take effect on September 30, 1982.
October 1982
Cook County Circuit Court (Judge George Schaller) rules Blameuser's petition invalid and decides in favor of the Village which then files to dismiss Blameuser's motion.
December 6, 1982 December 23, 1982
ABC television docudrama on the Morton Grove ban on possession of handguns has been completed but plans for showing have been shelved indefinitely.
1983
February 1983
Plaintiffs in the federal suit have asked the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing because they contend that Judge Bauer in the U.S. Court of Appeals decision of December 6, 1982, had made up his mind on the case before the actual hearing.
February 2, 1983
Village wins first handgun ban case and keeps confiscated .22-caliber handgun and ammunition garnered from the arrest on September 14, 1982 (first arrest based on handgun ordinance); second Village arrest for the handgun ordinance violation is on January 24, 1983.
February 9, 1983
Illinois Court of Appeals (Justice Daniel McNamara) upholds Cook County Circuit Court's decision (Judge Albert S. Green, January 1982) that the anti-gun ordinance is valid and constitutional and that Morton Grove was within its authority to adopt such a measure; possible appeal to Illinois Supreme Court pending.
March 2, 1983
Request for rehearing in the federal suit is denied by the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; Attorney Quilici readies his case for appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
May 1983
Petitions for hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court follow "castle doctrine" which was used before the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals advocating that law-abiding citizens have the right to keep a handgun in their homes in accordance with the Second Amendment. Victor Quilici, the Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association have all recently filed separate cases with the U.S. Supreme Court.
August 1983
Morton Grove Village nears end of reservoir of funds (from the never-aired ABC television docudrama plus monies donated by Handgun Control, Inc.) to cover costs of legal battles surrounding the handgun ordinance.
October 3, 1983
U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear case, leaving intact the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals which ruled that Morton Grove's handgun ban did not violate citizens' right to keep and bear arms according to the Second Amendment.
October 3, 1983
Skokie rejects a controversial handgun ban ordinance by a 4-3 vote.
October 4, 1983
Illinois Supreme Court agrees to hear the NRA-backed challenge to the Morton Grove ban on possession of handguns; case is not expected to be on the docket before the January term. Case is based on charges that the ordinance violates Illinois' constitutional provisions on the right to bear arms.
October 21, 1983
Morton Grove Deputy Police Chief Lanning found "not guilty" of charges arising from his part in purchase of a service weapon for Deputy Sheriff Judy Flickinger.
1984
April 16, 1984
Oak Park passes an ordinance banning handguns similar to Morton Grove's ban.
May 24, 1984
Morton Grove ordinance banning possession of handguns begins its hearing before the Illinois State Supreme Court(Justice Seymour Simon).
October 19, 1984
Ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court (Justice Seymour Simon) upholds the handgun ban in reference to the case filed in August 1981; in the ruling the majority of the court finds the ban constitutional and a proper exercise of the Village's home rule and police powers.
1985
May 1985
HB 410 is introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would repeal existing handgun bans and prevent all Illinois municipalities from imposing any type of regulations regarding firearms.
May 24, 1985
HB 410 falls one vote short of the 71 needed to pass; at the close of the House session in Springfield on Friday, May 24, HB 410 does not come up for a final vote and effectively dies.
1987
May 1987
HB 1885 which would have prohibited local municipalities from establishing their own handgun regulations never makes it to a vote during the final legislative session in Springfield.
1988
February 1988
Paint pellet guns are banned in Morton Grove.
June 27, 1988
Illinois Court of Appeals rules handguns are contraband and should not be returned even though obtained during an illegal search in 1987 case.
1994
March 1994
Morton Grove Police Department sponsors first amnesty program for residents to turn in weapons legally; police collect 25 weapons during the program.
1995
February 21, 1995
HB 568 is introduced in the Illinois General Assembly which would restrict local municipalities from enacting any laws governing handguns that are stricter than state regulations.
March 14, 1995
lllinois' new Republican-dominated General Assembly votes to advance HB 568.
March 21, 1995
Governor Jim Edgar threatens to veto HB 568, which would repeal local gun-control ordinances outside Chicago, if fellow Republicans in the legislature approve the measure.
March 23, 1995
Wilmette Village Board votes unanimously to authorize legal action if necessary to preserve a local ban on the sale and possession of handguns. Morton Grove Trustee Don Sneider says Morton Grove may consider joining the suit if the pre-emption bill goes through. Final action on the bill now on its third reading in the Illinois House is expected before April 28.
May 1-5, 1995
HB 568 passes the Illinois House in the first week of May as a shell bill (a bill that is amended as it moves through the legislative process to ensure safe passage) 63 to 51. A spokesman for the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence vows that affected communities will quickly challenge the law in the courts if the bill becomes law.
2001
July, 2001
There has been no further action on HB 568 since 1995 when it died in committee. No other legislative action has occurred in
Illinois that is directly or indirectly related to the Morton Grove Handgun Ordinance.
2008
June 26, 2008
U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the District of Columbia's handgun ban. NRA immediately files suit challenging the handgun bans in Morton Grove, Evanston, Oak Park, and Chicago. Wilmette suspends enforcement of its handgun ordinance.
July 28, 2008
By a 5-1 vote, the Morton Grove Village Board votes to repeal the handgun ban. According to the Chicago Tribune web site, "The move to repeal the ban attracted little controversy, Village Administrator Joe Wade said. Only a few residents came to a meeting earlier this month when the repeal was first on the agenda." "Trustee Dan Staackmann said, '...we don't have the resources to fight this all the way.'" (chicagotribune.com, 7/28/08)
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