Emanuel wants 6 months to write gun sale law

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has instructed city attorneys to ask for a six-month delay on firearms sales in Chicago.

The mayor’s office says a delay would allow the city to develop a new law to regulate the sale of guns that would be “the strongest in the nation.”

It’s not clear whether the city also will appeal a ruling Monday from a federal judge that declared city ordinances barring gun sales unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang’s ruling gave the city until Monday to file a notice of appeal.

Emanuel has supported policies to reduce gun violence by keeping illegal guns away from criminals and straw purchasers.

Advocates have said tight restrictions on gun shops could include barring them from neighborhoods beset by gang violence or blocks close to schools.