Mayor Lori Lightfoot: Chicago Needs More Gun Control

Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) suggested Wednesday there are “easy things” that can be done in response to Chicago gun violence, one of which is institute more gun control.

The Chicago Tribune reported Lightfoot made her comments in reaction to President Trump’s intimation the federal government may step in because leaders in Democrat-run cities, particularly Chicago, have seemingly acquiesced to gun violence in their streets.

Lightfoot said, “If the president was really committed to helping us deal with our violence, he would do some easy things. What he would push for is universal background checks, he would push for an assault weapons ban, he would push to make sure that people who are banned from getting on airplanes can’t get guns.”

She did not mention the Chicago-area already has an “assault weapons” ban, thanks to a Cook County prohibition. Moreover, Chicago and the entire state of Illinois already have a licensing process for would-be gun owners that includes a background check.

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This is a defacto universal background check system wholly separate from the vetting process one goes through to purchase a gun or obtain a concealed carry permit.

The “assault weapons” ban and background check requirements do not impact criminals because criminals acquire their guns from dark sources rather than retail stores, gun shows, the Internet, etc.

On August 30, 2015, Breitbart News reported a University of Chicago Crime Lab study showing criminals in the Cook County jail largely spoke of having acquired guns in undetectable ways on the street.

Another ramification of criminals’ means of acquiring guns is that Lightfoot’s n0-fly, no-buy suggestion is moot. Such a law would have no impact on Chicago gun violence because it presupposes criminals are buying their guns from a retail store instead the street.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.