Chicago Official Wants GPS Tracking Devices Required on All Guns: 'Safety Is...a Much More Important Issue Than Privacy

Credit: AP

A Chicago alderman is asking City Council to hold hearings on a controversial gun control proposal that would require GPS tracking of all firearms, CBS Chicago reports.

Ald. Willie Cochran, of the 20th District, wants GPS chips implanted in all new guns, as well as retrofitted on existing firearms, so police can locate them if they go missing. Cochran is also a former police officer.

“Just like if your car gets stolen," he explained, "OnStar can tell you where your car is. If your gun gets stolen, and you report it, we should be able to find that gun."

As far as responsible gun owners' right to privacy, Cochran isn't really concerned about that.

"[S]afety is…a much more important issue than privacy," he said.

“It is extremely important that we look past this privacy issue, at this point, and understand how important it is for us to address the issue of safety,” Cochran added.

More from CBS Chicago:

Cochran has introduced a resolution asking the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings to receive testimony on the matter. A Massachusetts state senator from Boston has been pushing a similar measure in that state.

Cochran acknowledged it might be expensive to install GPS chips on current and future firearms, but not as expensive as the cost of gun violence to society.

“Let’s measure what it costs in hospital costs, lost wages, deaths,” he said.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not comment on the GPS proposal. However, Emanuel has vowed to push for even stricter gun laws than Chicago already has.

Featured image via AP

(H/T: Weasel Zippers)