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Illinois City Mayor Granted Power to Ban Sales of Guns & Ammo Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Law-abiding gun owners in Champaign, Illinois, might soon lose their firearms and ammunition. City officials enacted a draconian measure under the guise of fighting the global coronavirus outbreak.

Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen is using the novel coronavirus hysteria to push her anti-gun agenda. Feinen declared on March 12 a public emergency that the City Council adopted a day later that enables her to ban the sale of firearms, ammunition, and alcohol. The executive order she issued and that the City Council approved also gives her the power to seize private property.

City Manager Jeff Hamilton claims the executive order gives the city the power to act as it sees fit to protect community welfare and respond to emergencies. He says there is no intent to ever use the newly implemented power to ban the sale of firearms and ammunition. But having the measure on the books leaves open the possibility of a massive gun grab in Champaign under the guise of community welfare.

Champaign is listed among Illinois cities that are members of the Everytown for Gun Safety’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition. That means Mayor Feinen made a conscious decision to join the anti-gun coalition paid for by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s billions. So, an anti-gun mayor issued an executive order giving her the power to violate the Second Amendment at the local level.

Defending the move, city officials issued a statement saying “the city will keep the public’s best interest in mind as we continue to work alongside public health officials and countywide leaders. We understand this is a challenging time but working collaboratively as a community is the best approach to combating this virus,” city officials said in the statement.

Not exactly denying the idea of a ban or confiscation!

Apparently, the city believes banning sales and leaving the door open to confiscation will help fight the effects of a global pandemic begun in China – where no citizen owns firearms?!

City officials in Champaign say they simply adopted an ordinance created at the statewide level in 2006. The action comes despite no reported cases of the Wuhan coronavirus flu in Champaign (at the time of this writing).

Critics say Feinen is overstepping her authority and potentially could violate the Second Amendment if she tried to exercise her newly declared authority. She even wants to ban alcohol sales and limit gasoline sales to only affixed fuel tanks on vehicles. If you have a gasoline-powered generator for backup power, her executive order could force you to do without it if she limited gasoline sales to only fuel tanks mounted on vehicles.

Critics of Feinen’s authoritarian play say the executive order clearly violates the Second Amendment. She even would violate the Open Meetings Act by enabling City Council meetings to be held online instead of requiring a quorum.

On the surface, Feinen’s actions would seem to be aimed at continuing to provide and oversee local governmental services. A more in-depth look shows no reason to enact such draconian measures – especially in a locale thus far unaffected by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

Feinen’s membership in an organization actively engaged in destroying the Second Amendment and her recent actions placing law-abiding gun owners in possible city crosshairs should give all law-abiding gun owners cause for concern. The NRA agrees and has cautioned its members to not allow similar acts in their local communities.


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