“We are unaware of any proper scientific testing that was conducted by the City to support the inclusion of Hi-Point Firearms on the City’s list [of banned handguns]”

Hi-Point makes value-priced firearms. Chicago makes anti-Second Amendment laws. Most recently, post-McDonald, the Windy City’s pols enacted a farrago of gun control legislation specifically designed to subvert the will of the people, as defined by both the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mayor Daley’s package of prevarication gave the police the power to create a list of “acceptable” home defense handguns. And here’s where the two entities intersect: the po-po’s list of banned handguns includes Hi-Point’s pistol products. [Click here for the City’s criteria.] When the black list was released, I phoned Hi-Point for an official comment on their exclusion. And now, finally, here it is . . .

As was widely reported several weeks ago, on June 28, 2010, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in the case of McDonald v. Chicago.

While the decision is long, in general, it represents a tremendous victory for individual gun rights since it applied the Second Amendment’s protections as described in District of Columbia v. Heller (which only applied federally) to states and local municipalities.

In response to McDonald, the City of Chicago recently issued new rules that set forth a so-called system to register firearms within the City. These rules were issued in record speed after the Supreme Court’s ruling against the City in a transparent attempt to avoid a ruling of the highest court in the country and to trample on the fundamental right of citizens to protect themselves with the firearms of their choosing.

Litigation has already been filed against the City of Chicago to have this new regulatory scheme declared unconstitutional. The case is called Benson, et al., v. the City of Chicago, et al., and it is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division court under case number 1:10-cv-04184. If you value an individual’s gun and other rights, please follow and support this and other similar litigation.

As part of its new rules, the City also released a list of purportedly “unsafe” firearms that are not permitted to be registered within the City. MKS Supply and Hi-Point Firearms have reviewed this list, and unfortunately Hi-Point products have been included on this list because of, we believe, reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with the safe operation of the guns.

There are several things that should be noted in response.

First, consider the source. Mayor Daley and the City of Chicago have gone out of their way to interfere with gun rights for years, and it would have been unreasonable to expect that they would change after the McDonald decision. Shame on this shameless politician and his attempt to keep our reliable and affordable firearms out of the hands of the citizens of Chicago.

Second, we are unaware of any proper scientific testing that was conducted by the City to support the inclusion of Hi-Point Firearms on the City’s list, and in fact, Hi-Point products have a long reputation of safety and reliability.

Hi-Point products have even been declared “not unsafe” by the State of California, and we all know how they feel about guns out there.

Third, MKS Supply and Hi-Point Firearms have unequivocally stood behind their products as being safe, reliable, and affordable for many years. Hi-Point Firearms are used for personal protection, recreation, target shooting, hunting, law enforcement, and other legal purposes every day, and the story of Hi-Point growing from its humble beginnings to become one of the firearms industry’s leading companies should be applauded as example of American manufacturing ability rather than baselessly attacked for political purposes.

Moreover, Hi-Point offers a lifetime warranty on its products that cannot be exceeded. If a Hi-Point brand firearm malfunctions for almost any reason, while extremely rare, it will be repaired and/or replaced as needed in order to ensure customer satisfaction. There is simply no way that we could have such a policy and stay in business unless the guns are made right the first time. That said, Chicago’s new anti-gun rules are numerous, and this list is just one of the more blatant parts of the City’s latest attacks all of our constitutional rights.

We thank you for your continuing interest in our products as we explore our options for responding to yet another attack on a proud American industry and the individual rights of this country’s citizens.