Homewood officials feel the heat, see the light and amend their gun ban

Homewood,  IL (Guns Save Life) – Officials in Homewood voted August 14th to amend their newly adopted scary gun ban to only apply to public places, according to a report in the Southtown Star.  The village attorney warned the village board that it was less than certain the village had the authority to ban the guns and cite anyone possessing one with a $750 fine and confiscation of the gun if in violation.  It is doubtful the amended ban is lawful either, as the State of Illinois has exclusive control over the transportation of all firearms in public (and private) places.

Clearly, members of the village council and the village attorney heard about the expensive legal bills Chicago and other municipalities have run up defending unlawful local gun regulations and decided they didn’t want a part of that.

(Southtown Star) – Homewood residents who faced fines of up to $750 for owning a working assault weapon and keeping it in the village can now keep them, as long as they aren’t brought into public places.

On the recommendation of village attorney Chris Cummings, the village board on Tuesday gutted the ordinance it passed last month banning assault weapons.

Cummings said the state’s new concealed-carry law left it “open to interpretation” whether non-home-rule municipalities such as Homewood had the right to ban such weapons. Cummings said although he believes the village has that right, the state law does “not spell out crystal clearly” whether that is the case.

Trustees in July voted 5 to 0 to enact a ban requiring that anyone in the village with an assault weapon either remove it from the village limits, turn it in to police, or alter the weapon to make it permanently inoperable within 90 days. Violators were subject to fines of $100 to $750.

Now assault weapons are prohibited only in public places.