U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- It has become commonly accepted among anti-gun extremists to ignore the mountains of evidence that exposes the abject failure of gun control to prevent violent criminals from acting like violent criminals. They reject the fact that criminals already violate myriad laws at the local, state, and federal level in furtherance of their illicit activities, and insist that the only way to prevent criminals from committing crimes with firearms is to add more laws.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has learned that lesson well.
As the Windy City experiences dramatic increases in violent crimes involving firearms, the Washington Examiner reports that Lightfoot was “told that the police union blames her for a lack of moral (sic) among the city’s law enforcement officials.” In an attempt to deflect criticism of her administration, the mayor decided to blame, you guessed it, gun laws.
Rather than look at what she and her city could do better, in an interview on MSNBC’s Live With Stephanie Ruhle, Lightfoot claimed, “We have to have a federal policy on background checks and making sure people are not able to go across the border to states like Indiana and get military-grade weapons in quantities and then bring them back to the streets and shoot people up. That’s what’s happening.”
The only problem with her response is…well…everything.
First, we have a federal policy; several, in fact. The “N” in NICS stands for “National,” as in, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It is the law of the land, and requires all sales at gun dealers, no matter what state they take place in, be subject to a NICS check to ensure the purchaser is not prohibited from making such a purchase.
Second, federal law generally prohibits private citizens—who are not licensed gun dealers—from lawfully transferring a firearm to anyone who is not a resident of the state in which they reside.
Third, if her reference to “military-grade weapons” is her way of referring to semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15, such firearms represent a small fraction of the guns used in firearm-related crimes nationally. It is unlikely that Chicago is any different than the rest of the country in this regard.
And finally, while Lightfoot appears to be looking at adding new restrictions to the current lawful transfer of firearms, she ignores the fact that violent criminals primarily acquire firearms through already illegal channels.
That’s not even taking into account the gun laws in Chicago and Illinois, which are, arguably, some of the most restrictive in the country.
So, rather than looking at what she can do better to stem the rising tide of violence in her city, Mayor Lightfoot has decided to misrepresent federal law, malign her neighboring states, and suggest we need more laws that will further infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens; more laws that violent criminals will regard with as much disdain as the current mountain of laws they violate.
President Trump has even offered federal assistance to help improve police efforts. It seems Lightfoot, however, is more interested in scoring political points by promoting anti-gun policies embraced by the far left, rather than considering strategies that will actually help the citizens of her city.
About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
Typical politician rhetoric, blaming everyone and everything for their failures.
She’s in charge and therefore responsible. This mindless leadership of repeated policies expecting different results is the twisted reasoning that is duplicated in all democrat run hell holes. Obviously these inept public officials have no intention of serving the public as evidenced by the increasing number of dead.
The Ethiopian refugee has no clue about how to run a city !
Chicago like most big cities in the U.S. has a major drug problem thanks to the Mexican cartels who import their drugs to the inner city ghettos and the local gang bangers want to make the money from selling it. It’s a wild west shoot out for control of the drugs between the gangs and the shooters don’t get their guns at the local sporting goods stores but mindless elected officials want to blame the honest law abiding citizens and make life harder for self protection by limiting the ability to own and carry. Clean out the drug dealers and… Read more »
Don’t say it!
Mayor Lori Lightfoot… another useless piece of shit.
Lightfoot is preaching to her low IQ constituents. Democrats have been blaming others the entire existence of their party, following the Marxist handbook. And getting away with it. As bad a civil war will be the time has come.
Once and for all the democrats and their party and insurgency must be destroyed and outlawed. Every last vestige of these communists must be wiped out, wherever they are found. If the communists are allowed to exist they will one day have the strength to overthrow our government. That’s why they must be defeated now quickly and aggressively