A federal judge ruled Monday that it is unconstitutional to prohibit licensed gun stores from operating in Chicago.

U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang says the city has not shown how banning the sales and transfers of guns by legal buyers and dealers will combat the issue of gun violence in Chicago. Chang cited the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense under the Second Amendment as part of his decision to overturn the ban. 
The ruling also allows an owner to transfer a firearm as a gift or through a private sale as long as they are 18 and older and have a firearm owner's ID, according to the Chicago Tribune. Judge Chang has not ruled against other parts of the city's gun regulation law. 
The homicide rate in Chicago was down by 18 percent in 2013, according to the city’s police department. Last year 415 homicides were reported, compared to 503 in 2012 and 435 in 2011. This is the fewest murders in the city since 1965.
The judge has given the city time to file an appeal. Mayor Rahm Emanuel “strongly disagrees” with the decision and urges city attorneys “to consider all options to better regulate the sale of firearms within the city's borders,” according to a written statement released by the city's Law Department.
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 (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)