By Scott Cozensa

Ella French was gunned down while conducting a routine traffic stop in Chicago, and the tragic murder has one politician seizing upon her death to elevate himself and advance a new gun control law. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) blames the accused straw-seller of the weapon used to shoot French. In the wake of the tragedy, once again, a Democrat hoping for a hero’s cape calls for more government intervention. In this case, Durbin is using a bill he previously introduced to create another federal firearm crime.

What’s a Straw Purchase?

A straw purchase is when someone who is able to purchase a firearm legally does so for a prohibited person, or someone who cannot. It is a method of weapon acquisition popular amongst those forbidden from legally owning guns. On Monday, August 9, federal charges were brought against a man in Chicago alleged to be the straw purchaser responsible for “legally” buying the firearm used to kill Officer French and shoot her partner as well. Prosecutors say Mr. Jamel Danzy bought the gun in Indiana back in March and subsequently gave it to one of the occupants in the car French had pulled over when she was killed. Would a new federal law have made a difference?