So, you decide to buy a gun, but it’s not as simple as picking one up at the store. Rather, a lengthy procedure needs to be done before you can call that gun your own. According to national gun laws, all firearm owners need to have five hours of safety training, register their gun every three years, pass a criminal background check before obtaining the gun, and having one conducted every six years. Seem reasonable enough?
In some areas, such as Chicago, city officials want to make the gun laws tighter to make purchasing a firearm difficult. In Chicago, according to this recent news article, the mayor wants gun owners to register their weapons, purchase liability insurance, take periodic firearm training, and undergo a criminal background check. While the background check for anyone wanting to own a firearm seems fairly commonplace, the insurance issue in Chicago is proving to be cumbersome. What if a gun is used in self defense?
When it comes to firearms, having everyone purchase insurance seems unreasonable, particularly as guns may be used in various cases of self-defense. If a person is attacked and he or she uses a gun for self defense, for example, would that person be liable for hurting the person who had been attacking anyway?
As far as guns are concerned, the issue of background checks still looms. Those who legally purchase firearms often have clean backgrounds, but what about those who purchase guns illegally? Shouldn’t the mayor of Chicago – a city with a high enough murder rate – be focusing on cutting down illegal sales of firearms instead? Additionally, what about the gun show loophole, which allows anyone to attend a gun show and purchase a firearm without having a background check? Both of these issues pertaining to firearms are far more pressing in most states, and Chicago’s and Illinois’ issues should be no different.