Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Lori Lightfoot Either Doesn’t Understand Federal Law, or Hopes Nobody Else Does

Monday, July 13, 2020

Lori Lightfoot Either Doesn’t Understand Federal Law, or Hopes Nobody Else Does

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 citys 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 MSNBCs 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.  Thats whats 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.

Thats 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.

TRENDING NOW
NRA Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights

News  

Second Amendment  

Friday, February 7, 2025

NRA Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights

Today, the White House announced a new Executive Order to protect and expand the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. This is the first action taken by President Donald J. Trump to carry through ...

The Hearing Protection Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

News  

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Hearing Protection Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

U.S. Representative Ben Cline (R-VA-06) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently reintroduced the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 404/S. 364) in the 119th Congress. This commonsense legislation will give gun owners and hunters the opportunity to ...

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

News  

Monday, February 3, 2025

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

One day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, he held a Make America Great Again rally in Washington, D.C., where he spoke to more than 20,000 energized supporters ...

NFA Prosecution Shows ATF Still Determined to Imprison Americans for Braced Pistols

News  

Monday, February 10, 2025

NFA Prosecution Shows ATF Still Determined to Imprison Americans for Braced Pistols

Documents filed in an ongoing prosecution for illegal possession of a short-barreled rifle are raising new concerns about ATF’s enforcement policy concerning pistols with attached stabilizing braces. 

Going, Going… Gone? Privacy and Gun Owner Data Security in California

News  

Monday, February 10, 2025

Going, Going… Gone? Privacy and Gun Owner Data Security in California

Where does privacy go to die? For gun owners and concealed carry applicants and permit holders in the Golden State, the answer must surely be California.

DNC Goes All-In on Gun Control

News  

Monday, February 10, 2025

DNC Goes All-In on Gun Control

A couple weeks ago, we wrote about anti-gun activist David Hogg campaigning to be a Vice Chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC).  We (somewhat) jokingly endorsed his candidacy, as it would make abundantly clear that ...

Colorado: Senate Delays Vote on Semi-Auto Ban A Second Time

Friday, February 7, 2025

Colorado: Senate Delays Vote on Semi-Auto Ban A Second Time

For the second week in a row, the State Senate has postponed the floor vote for Senate Bill 25-003, the near all-encompassing semi-automatic ban

New Mexico: Anti-Gun Extremists Introduce Sweeping Gun Ban

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

New Mexico: Anti-Gun Extremists Introduce Sweeping Gun Ban

As they have tried in the past, anti-gun radicals in the New Mexico Senate have introduced Senate Bill 279, the "GOSAFE Act," a near all-encompassing ban on semi-automatic and NFA firearms.

Legislation Introduced to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

News  

Friday, February 7, 2025

Legislation Introduced to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

The Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-IL-12) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), as well as Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), have reintroduced the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act ...

FIND Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

News  

Friday, February 7, 2025

FIND Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI-01) recently reintroduced H.R. 45, the Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination Act (FIND Act). U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) also introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate (S. 137). This important legislation would ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

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.