By Paul Lathrop | Contributing Editor
Rhonda Ezell, who became famous as the plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging a gun control law in the City of Chicago, appeared on the Second Amendment Foundation’s Daily Bullet video series this week to reminisce about her case and talk about what may be on the horizon.
Ezell is a down-to-earth humble person who seems to have a keen understanding of her important role in furthering gun rights in the Windy City.
“When you stand up for rights, you stand up for the rights of all Americans, not some,” she observed.
Ezell decided to sue Chicago after the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which was a Second Amendment Foundation case. The city was forced to issue some kind of carry permit and included in that permitting process was a requirement for a live-fire qualification. Because of Chicago’s onerous zoning laws, no ranges could exist within city limits. Ezell and SAF attorneys saw the problem, and she became the key plaintiff.
Her dilemma was perfect for the legal action. She had to drive 50 miles outside the city to comply with the ordinance and complete the live fire qualification.
“It was actually a long drive for me,” she recalled. “I had just beaten life support and learned how to walk and things of that nature. I wasn’t as good as I used to be behind the wheel of a car but I was still able to drive, but it was tough getting there. So it took me a very long time to actually get to the location. That was one of the things that I talked about then I spoke with the Illinois State Rifle Association.”
“One thing that I can say about the Ezell v. Chicago case,” she continued, “is that it’s more than about Chicago, it’s more than about Rhonda Ezell, it is about America, because if you pay attention to the dissent in Canter v. Barr where Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barret actually cited both of my cases in her dissent stating that she did not agree with people that did not have violent felonies losing their rights.”
These days, Ezell is the head of Chicago Guns Matter and is a regular speaker at the Second Amendment Foundation’s Gun Rights Policy Conference.
