Victory for the Second Amendment; Settlement Reached in Laferena Batchelor vs. City of Chicago

Fairfax, Va. – A settlement has been reached in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, between Laferena Batchelor and the City of Chicago. 

Mr. Batchelor is an 85-year old Chicago resident who filed an application with the Chicago Police Department for a Chicago Firearms Permit (CFP) in May, 2011.  The possession of a firearm is prohibited in Chicago without a CFP.  On June 14, 2011, Mr. Batchelor's application was denied because of a 1996 city ordinance violation.  During that year, Mr. Batchelor was at home and heard a loud noise in his backyard.  When he went to see what was happening, he saw that some large stray dogs had broken through his fence and were headed toward him.  He had a legally owned firearm and shot into the ground to scare away the dogs in an act of self-defense.  However, Mr. Batchelor was cited with violating a city discharge ordinance, fined $50, and his firearm was seized.

Mr. Batchelor is a veteran of WWII and the Korean War, and a law-abiding resident of Chicago.  He has a Illinois Firearms Owner's Identification (FOID) Card, but the City of Chicago would not let him get a CFP to purchase a firearm because of his previous city ordinance violation.

After months of litigation, the City of Chicago agreed that Mr. Batchelor's 1996 ordinance violation should not disqualify him from obtaining a CFP.

"This settlement is a victory for the Second Amendment and the self-defense rights of all Chicago residents," said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action.  "Mr. Batchelor is a great American who put his life on the line to defend freedom overseas.  The least his country and the City of Chicago can do is respect his constitutional rights here at home."

-NRA-
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group.  Four million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime.  The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services.