CHICAGO – Police chiefs from
across the United States called on Monday for universal background checks for
firearms purchases, saying opinion polls consistently show that most Americans
support such restrictions.

The proliferation of firearms is one of the factors behind a
rise in homicide rates in many U.S. cities this year, according to senior law
enforcement officials at the International Association of Chiefs of Police
conference in Chicago.

Acknowledging the power of the gun lobby and the reluctance of
Congress to enact stricter gun laws, the police chiefs told a news conference
they were not anti-gun but wanted to keep weapons out of the hands of people
with criminal backgrounds.

Current rules on background checks apply to licensed dealers,
but up to 40 percent of firearms sales involve private parties or gun shows and
do not require checks, the chiefs said.

“This is a no-brainer, this is the simplest thing in the
world,” Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said. “It
troubles me all the time.”

Backing the effort is an alliance of organizations representing
police chiefs and executives, such as the Major Cities Chiefs Association and
groups representing women, Hispanic and African-American law enforcement executives
and police chiefs, as well as campus law enforcement administrators.

McCarthy said he was passionate about the issue after four years
on the job in Chicago, which has more shootings and killings than other big
cities like New York and Los Angeles and where police seize illegal guns at a
much higher rate.

The police leaders called for expansion of background checks to
cover all gun purchases and for a stronger background check system to ensure
all agencies share the same records including criminal and mental health
backgrounds.

Mass shootings in the United States such as the one at a
community college in Oregon this month where a gunman killed nine people
typically renew calls by some officials for more gun control.

A Gallup poll released last week showed 55 percent of Americans
preferred tighter regulations on gun sales, something the National Rifle
Association generally opposes. Pro-gun groups say increased background checks
for gun buyers could infringe on Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.

“We
took on the tobacco industry years ago,” McCarthy said. “We’re not
going to give up, it’s the most obvious thing in the world what we have to do
in this country. I have more faith in America.”