Naperville gun shop owner asks city to repeal ban on selling certain high-powered rifles
A Naperville gun shop owner and national gun rights organizations are asking the city to repeal an ordinance banning the sale of certain high-powered rifles.
The request came during public comments at Tuesday's city council meeting. Robert Bevis, the owner of Law Weapons & Supply in Naperville, members of the community and representatives from the National Association for Gun Rights asked council members to abandon the law passed last year.
Bevis, the NAGR and its legal defense arm, the National Foundation for Gun Rights, are involved in a lawsuit against the city and the state. They say the gun sale bans are unconstitutional and are ruining Bevis' business.
"We will not stop until this ordinance is defeated and the cost and damages are paid in full," Bevis said. "It would be in the best interest of Naperville to take immediate action to mitigate the harm to its reputation and to the taxpayers' financial security."
Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli and council members didn't comment after Bevis, NAGR President Dudley Brown, NFGR Research and Policy Director Hannah Hill and others decried the law.
City officials declined to comment through a statement.
"We are aware of the request and anticipated that there would be legal challenges," the statement reads, "but at this point we do not have any comment."
Although a court injunction is preventing the state ban from being enforced, Naperville's ordinance still impacts Bevis' ability to sell certain high-powered rifles.
Hill argued the overlapping laws provide Naperville officials with the necessary cover to drop the local ordinance.
"A federal judge has already suspended the enforcement of the Illinois assault weapons ban, but that did not apply to the Naperville ordinance," Hill said. "That means that while gun stores in the rest of Illinois are able to operate freely, Mr. Bevis' business is not. That's not a position Naperville wants to be in for several reasons."
Hill, who said an offer of resolution has been made to Naperville through attorneys, said the city doesn't need its ordinance because the state's law is broader and includes Naperville. By keeping the law, Hill said, Naperville officials are exposing residents to immense financial risk if the city loses the lawsuit.
Bevis, the NAGR and the NFGR asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the bans by Naperville and Illinois while both are being challenged in lower courts.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett gave the city of Naperville until Monday to provide further information regarding its ordinance.
Despite the pressure being applied to repeal the ordinance, community members also spoke out Tuesday in support of the gun sale ban.
"The upside is you are sending a message to our children that they are worth the fight. They deserve to be protected," Naperville resident Laura Morgan said. "I support all of the costs, all of the legal fees, that we will have to endure to try to move the needle."