(PatriotPostNews.com) — A federal judge has ruled that the Second Amendment does not protect the right to have laser sights for guns in a decision that upheld a ban on the sights in Chicago.
On Monday, July 22, Judge Charles Kocoras determined that laser sights are not necessary for guns to operate properly but are instead accessories to firearms. Because they are not, in fact, weapons themselves, they do not fall under the “right to bear arms” protections of the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
The ruling is from a 2010 lawsuit lodged by the Second Amendment Arms organization, which challenged the Windy City’s ban on laser sights, which was implemented in 1999. According to the group, the ban violates the federally protected gun rights of citizens and the organization’s members.
Kocoras’ decision was made after considering a 2022 Supreme Court decision that mandated that governments instilling restrictions on firearms must first prove that the proposed regulations are in line with the traditional American practice of the “right to bear arms” and restrictions surrounding guns.
Prior to considering the historical significance of firearm regulation, Kocoras first determined that the laser sights are not “properly characterized as arms,” which is a requirement before ruling that the Second Amendment protects certain conduct.
According to the plaintiffs in the case, laser sights are constitutionally protected accessories because they are “a modern version” of a device that has traditionally been used for “safe firearm usage,” referring to general firearm sights. However, officials for the city of Chicago said that laser sights specifically are not technically arms as defined in the Second Amendment but are instead “mere firearm accessories.”
In response to the argument from the plaintiffs, Kocoras said that those filing the legal challenge did not prove that laser sights are protected under the Constitution. Specifically, the plaintiffs did not differentiate the accessories from silencers, which have already been deemed unprotected by the Second Amendment.
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