Chicago gun ban on way out, but mayor vows fight

By DON BABWIN Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO (AP) - A Supreme Court ruling finding that Americans have the right to bear arms anywhere they live almost certainly means the end of Chicago's decades-old handgun ban but may not make handgun ownership there much easier.

Mayor Richard M. Daley says city officials have been looking at various measures they could implement to make owning a handgun difficult and that he plans to quickly put the measures before the City Council.

The high court's Monday ruling didn't explicitly strike down nearly 30-year-old handgun bans in Chicago and its Illinois suburb of Oak Park. But it left little doubt that the statutes eventually will fall.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he's not concerned that the ruling will "hurt" his cities efforts to restrict gun ownership.