West Cook News

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Oak Park) makes no apologies about his desire to ban and even stop the manufacturing of firearms.

“My point is that guns are too readily available in our society,” Davis said during a recent appearance on Chicago’s Morning Answer. “We don’t have the kinds of regulation we need to have. I believe in the Constitution, but if you don’t have a gun available in certain situations people would still be alive. We’re talking about reducing violence and one way is to reduce the number of guns.”

Davis’ crusade coincides with a series of executive actions put in place by President Joe Biden that are aimed at curbing gun violence. Among the changes are reviewing federal policy surrounding ghost guns and the use of stabilizing braces on pistols, or modifications that can convert a short-barreled rifle.

“The presence of guns often times leads to violent situations that if the gun was not there would not have happened,” Davis added. "All we’re saying is have universal background checks. That doesn’t mean you’re taking away their rights; it means you’re protecting their rights.”

Back in 2013, Davis was one of the sponsors who introduced the Gun Violence Prevention and Safe Communities Act, which sought to “prevent gun violence and increase community safety by increasing the federal taxes on guns and ammunition, including closing current loopholes that allow some of the most popular and deadly firearms to avoid taxation and regulation.”

Back then, Davis argued that gun violence had reached epidemic proportions and the situation was only growing more dangerously out of control.

“The crisis should outrage us all,” he added. “This legislation is a pro-active approach to reducing gun violence by using proven preventive programs which have been starved for funds until now. As part of a comprehensive, multidimensional strategy to reduce gun violence, this legislation closes major loopholes in tax law and lays out equitable, long-term, sustainable strategy to provide requisite resources.”