USCM Files Amicus Brief in support of Highland Park, IL
Washington, D.C.— Today, the United States Conference of Mayors filed an amicus brief in National Association for Gun Rights and Susan Goldman v. City of Highland Park, Illinois, supporting the city as it works to maintain the legal flexibility needed to regulate access to assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines that lead to mass shootings and political violence.
“Mayors, police chiefs, and other local leaders are on the frontlines when the tragedy of gun violence strikes. They are the first to respond, and the ones who help their communities recover. They are often the ones who must figure out what can be done to prevent these horrific events from occurring again. Supreme Court precedent gives cities discretion when regulating the use of modern weapons within their jurisdiction, and to deny this precedent is to deny city governments the opportunity to legally combat violence in their own communities,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors argues in its brief—filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois—that addressing the increase in mass shootings and political violence requires regulatory flexibility, specifically for local governments, which are impacted uniquely by these events. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court recognized the need for local governments to be able to innovate to protect their constituents, and the Court preserved flexibility for cities and States to regulate new and dangerous weapons. The brief explains that without this regulatory flexibility, local governments will be paralyzed in the face of a growing epidemic of gun violence.
The full amicus brief can be found here. It was filed by attorneys at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection at Georgetown University Law Center, and at the Chicago-based law firm McDermott Will & Emery.