The irony is that Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. It is a very difficult problem to make progress on. You could ban all firearm sales today, and it wouldn't solve shit, at least in the short term. If you had some kind of forced firearm confiscation program, there'd be a complete violent societal breakdown. Guns are what beat the British, guns are what drove the Indians into submission, guns are what saved the union...guns are here to stay, they are fundamental to the culture here. And we will live and die by them. Unfortunately, the hysteria around gun control makes people totally irrational. The NRA is a hopeless disgrace. There should only be three kinds of legal firearms here, IMO: Pistols, shotguns and hunting rifles. All permits should go through your local police department, and all gun purchases should be subject to mandatory background checks, and a 1 month waiting period, with annual renewals, fees, etc. The laws should be federal, and uniform. Make gun ownership a pain in the ass, and the penalty for the unlicensed really harsh. Stronger efforts should be made to entice people to turn in their firearms in buyback programs as well.