Mayor Daley might think that this will have an impact on gun ownership and use by existing criminals. But, these people already have little respect for the existing laws; what is it about this law that makes Daley think they will start obeying his new proposal?
By making it so difficult to own a gun legally, Daley's proposal will ultimately create more criminals as there will surely be many peaceful gun owners who will choose to not go through the daunting steps to legally own a gun in Chicago--and bravo to those individuals. But, maybe that is Daley's goal--and the goal of many in government--to create criminals out of most citizens such that we can more easily be put under their thumb. If we all are ultimately law-breakers, then they have an excuse to arrest us if/when we resist any further expansions of government power and further intrusions into our lives.