Another Cook County attack on gun rights

 Via Chicago Sun-Times

A letter to the editor...

  The Cook County Board has a proposed ordinance before it which will attempt to restrict the 2^nd Amendment rights of all law-abiding citizens in Cook County. The ordinance calls for the “prohibitions on the sale of firearm to, and purchase of firearm by, a person not covered by appropriate liability insurance.”

This means Cook County residents would not be able to purchase and own a firearm without first acquiring firearm liability insurance.

The sponsor and others would like to compare firearm liability insurance to having car insurance, which is like comparing apples to oranges. A right granted by the 2^nd Amendment allows United States citizens to possess and own a firearm. Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege granted by state law, not a right covered under the United States Constitution.

The intention of the ordinance’s sponsor is to have a major impact on gun violence. An admirable thought, however you must ask how will this ordinance have any impact on gun-wielding criminals? The truthful answer is it won’t. It’s a false notion to think that violent criminals who are already breaking the law will stop and contemplate the purchase of firearm liability insurance before committing their next crime. Moreover, nearly all insurance policy coverage excludes criminal acts from their coverage obligation.

If this ordinance were passed, litigation would certainly follow in opposition to its constitutionality, which would mean a long and costly legal defense for Cook County taxpayers. There is a reason why this type of legislation has failed nearly everywhere it has been introduced across the country.

This ordinance would not address violent criminal behavior, but would instead restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. I believe this is an unconstitutional overreach by government which I strongly oppose.

We need to focus our efforts on preventative measures that are truly substantive in nature and that will deter individuals away from crime. We can do so by beginning to promote strong family structure, by supporting the concept of community members turning in known criminals and through increasing educational and employment opportunities. Preventing criminal behavior must be the driving force to addressing violent crime, rather than ineffective legislation placed upon the citizen taxpayer without regard to consequence.

Sean M. Morrison
Cook County Commissioner
17^th District