There you go again, Your Honor

As if! As if we didn't have enough evidence that Chicago's elitist City Council has nothing but disdain for the proletariat class it is elected to serve. The new handgun ordinance, passed on the mayor's orders in the wake of the city's handgun ban being overturned in court, is designed to prevent a citizen from using his gun to defend himself. Are the alderman subjected to the same limits they forced on their peasants? Unlikely--after all, they excluded themselves from the handgun ban during its 28-year existence.

The city's Legal Department, led by Mara Georges, will spend millions of dollars the city doesn't have defending the law in court from challenges. These challenges come from citizens who dare to defend themselves from the thugs who own the streets in so many Chicago neighborhoods. What is the point, really, of a one handgun per month purchase limit? Of banning handgun possession on a porch or in a garage? The mayor's attempts to disarm the people are baffling. Restricting each residence to one operational handgun (the others disassembled) makes perfect sense if one presumes more working handguns endanger the residents. That's up for debate, and that decision should be up to the individual homeowner, not Hizzonerdamare.

Another part of the law bans gun stores within the city limits. This is almost certainly unconstitutional as a gun is now a legal product in Chicago. Mara Georges' reasoning was, Well, no alderman would allow a gun shop in his ward, so we decided to ban them.

How preposterous. And arrogant. This motley City Council crew of 50 men and women will not be aldermen forever. With luck, many will pursue other opportunities next year. Considering how popular urban gun ownership is, it's very possible a new, pro-gun alderman would welcome a gun store in his ward. The city ordinance doesn't allow for such an eventuality. The alderman would need to introduce a waiver to the law and persuade his colleagues to pass it.

Just as there are liquor stores and automobile dealers within the city limits, gun shops deserve an opportunity to conduct business. Mayor Richard M. Daley may not like it. When the law is thrown out, he'll find it's not always his call.