Recently, the US Supreme Court asserted for the first time in the 219 years since the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified that the ungrammatical amendment should be interpreted as granting an individual right to bear arms. This contrasts with the previous interpretation of the term "well-regulated militia" as applying to a collective right.
Chicago, the target of the Supreme Court's decision, has just passed by 45-0 a revised law to replace the law overturned by the court. A particular clause of the new law strikes me as an excellent idea, one that should be implemented nationwide. Keep reading for more detail.
Grumbling about a U.S. Supreme Court they say is out of touch with America’s cities, Chicago aldermen voted 45-0 today to approve a rushed-through compromise gun ban.
The law, weaker than the gun ban tossed out Monday but with some even stronger new provisions, allows adults in Chicago to buy one gun a month, 12 a year, but they must pay registration and permit fees and take five hours of training. -- Chicago Sun-Times 7-2-2010
The most striking aspect of the new law is a provision requiring the estimated 10,000 Chicagoans convicted of gun offenses to register at their local police station like sex offenders. This is something that should be instituted nationwide. In addition, an website like the one for sex offenders should be developed as soon as possible.
Instituting gun offender registration and an online verification system will promote the public safety and allow parents to protect their children by learning where gun offenders reside in their neighborhood. Shouldn't we protect our children from gun offenders just as avidly as we protect them from sex offenders? I say yes. It's just good old common sense.
Update: I'm drafting language for a bill to be called the National Gun Criminals Registration Act and writing a letter to my congressman asking for sponsorship. This common sense legislation will help our police do their jobs and will make our neighborhoods safer by targeting gun criminals.