Chicago Democrat Looks to Disarm the Poor, Make it a Crime to Own a Cheap Handgun

by Greg Campbell | March 5, 2013 7:00 am

When it comes to discussing ways in which we can curb gun violence, listening to Chicago politicians posture and lecture America on the means in which we can produce safer streets is like listening to Michael Moore instruct us on diet tips or Jane Fonda praise the virtue of patriotism.

Surely such irony cannot be lost on Chicago politicians that as they lecture America on the value of gun control, their crime-riddled hellhole is suffering a murder rate that beats the days of Al Capone and Dean O’Banion.[1]

Still, the answer to those who hail from the Windy City is always the same- To stop gun violence, make guns illegal… because criminals won’t use illegal guns.

That’s what’s coming from Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez. Pointing out that 97% of gun violence did not involve one of those scary-looking “assault rifles,” but rather a handgun, Gutierrez went to proposing the logical solution: ban cheap handguns.

Okay, “logical” might have been too strong a word…

The Hill reports:[2]

Although Washington’s gun-control debate has focused largely on more imposing weapons, like military-style assault rifles, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) is going after the handguns that are used much more frequently by violent criminals – particularly in urban settings like his hometown, where shootings are a daily plague.

I am concerned about the assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But I am also concerned by the ‘slow-moving massacre’ that is occurring every day with handguns,” Gutierrez, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Monday in Chicago while announcing his bill…

Gutierrez is quick to note that lower-profile shootings claim many more lives each year than the mass killings that generate broad media attention, and that handguns – not assault rifles – are most often used in those murders. In 2011, for instance, 97 percent of Chicago’s 362 gun murders involved handguns. Not one of them spurred a congressional hearing.

Gutierrez’ bill is geared towards applying tougher standards for gun manufacturers. However, as with any industry, applying further government regulation increases the cost of production and thus, that cost must either be absorbed by the manufacturer or, more likely, passed onto the consumer.

And there’s the whole point of this ridiculous bill. Page 14 in the gun-grabbers’ manual is that when you can’t outright outlaw a gun, do what you can to harass the manufacturers and also work to drive up the price of guns and ammunition to work to make owning one cost-prohibitive.

The gun lobby and other supporters of the current law say the smaller, lighter handguns are ideal for self-defense, and that efforts to apply tougher standards on manufacturers are misguided.

Critics like Gutierrez counter that current law allows U.S. gun manufacturers to make cheaper guns by using weaker metals and excluding safety features – two practices that can contribute to more accidents and misfires.

“In spite of being widely considered unsuitable for self-defense or sporting, they are very popular crime guns,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez’s bill would expand the ATF’s safety requirements for imported handguns to those manufactured domestically. It would also make it a federal crime to possess so-called “junk” handguns, or transfer them to others.

“When we regulate cars and cribs and a whole host of products to ensure they are safe for public consumption, how does it not makes sense that we have basic safety standards for dangerous handguns?” he asked. “Now is the time to remove the most unsafe handguns from the market.”

Did you hear that? The politician wants to get make it a crime to own a cheap handgun! Where’s the media? Surely the media is chomping at the bit to expose this elitist scheme to disarm the poorer Americans!

Oh, he’s a Democrat. Nevermind…

Endnotes:
  1. that beats the days of Al Capone and Dean O’Banion.: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/02/03/Chicago-gun-violence-Capone
  2. The Hill reports:: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/286029-dem-bill-targets-junk-handguns-

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