I have mentioned in previous newsletters that one of my pet peeves is when people of influence, such as the journalists, celebrities, politicians and even law enforcement, speak about firearms when they don’t know anything about firearms.

Case in point is Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago. She wants to blame the increase in violence in Chicago on other states.

"We are being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons," she said. "That is hurting cities like Chicago. That is the thing that, if the president really wanted to help, that and the other things I identified in my letter, he could do today, tomorrow."

But this isn’t true.

First, there are no states that have “virtually no gun control." Some states do have less gun control than others, but they all, at a minimum, must comply with federal gun control laws. Illinois has draconian gun control laws, but obviously it isn’t doing much good.

Second, there are no states that don’t require background checks. Again, some states, or even local municipalities, might have a local background system that is used, but all states must use the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). If you have certain credentials, such as being a licensed concealed weapons holder, you can utilize those credentials in lieu of a background check. This is because you have already been through a background check to get that license.

The mayor then talks about a ban on assault weapons. I would challenge her first to define an assault weapon, which she won’t be able to do because there is no such thing as an “assault weapon." Also, rifles or "assault weapons" are not used in most crimes and are not responsible for most of the violent crimes being experienced in Chicago.

It sounds like the mayor is implying that Illinois citizens are crossing into other states and purchasing firearms because they have fewer restrictions. The issue with that theory is that since we have already shown most of these guns are handguns, you can only purchase a handgun within the state that you are a resident.

The problem Mayor Lightfoot has is with guns obtained illegally. They were either stolen, part of a straw purchase or purchased with the intent of selling to criminals. More gun control will not stop these actions from happening, but that isn’t a story the Left wants to tell.

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