1933 – April 4, 2014
- wife, Laura, and five children
- served in the Army
- 1952 moved to Chicago
- worked at University of Chicago
- associate degree from Kennedy-King College
- 1996 retired
- 2008 McDonald v. City of Chicago
– two years working its way through the system
About Otis McDonald
Otis McDonald was the lead plaintiff in McDonald v. City of Chicago, the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments, not only the federal government. Born in Louisiana in 1933, he served in the U.S. Army and settled in Chicago in 1952. He spent his working life at the University of Chicago, rising from janitor to maintenance engineer and earning an associate degree from Kennedy-King College along the way before retiring in 1996.
Concerned about crime in his neighborhood, McDonald wanted a handgun to defend his home. He owned shotguns but considered them too unwieldy, and Chicago had refused new handgun registrations since 1982. In 2008, following District of Columbia v. Heller, he and three other Chicago residents filed suit, with support from the Second Amendment Foundation and the Illinois State Rifle Association and with Alan Gura as counsel. On June 28, 2010, the Court ruled 5-4 that the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in the home is incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, ending Chicago’s 28-year handgun ban. McDonald died on April 4, 2014, and the Illinois House of Representatives adopted a resolution honoring his life. His case remains one of the cornerstones of modern Second Amendment law.
Key Facts
- 1933: Born in Louisiana
- 1952: Settles in Chicago after Army service
- 1996: Retires from the University of Chicago
- 2008: Files suit as lead plaintiff against Chicago’s handgun ban
- March 2, 2010: McDonald v. City of Chicago argued at the Supreme Court
- June 28, 2010: Court rules 5-4 that the Second Amendment applies to the states
- April 4, 2014: Dies; the Illinois House later adopts a resolution in his honor
Sources
- House Resolution 1001 honoring Otis McDonald (Illinois General Assembly)
- McDonald v. City of Chicago (Wikipedia)
- NRA Statement on the Passing of Otis McDonald (AmmoLand)
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