Chicago's 'Gun-Sharing Program' Highlights Ease of Obtaining Firearms

On first glance, this installation in Chicago's bustling Daley Plaza looks just like a regular shared-bike docking station.

But curious passers-by taking a closer look found that the items available for borrowing were, in fact, deadly AR-15 rifles. 

Luckily, the guns turned out to be steel replicas - part of a campaign created by Chicago boutique agency The Escape Pod for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which aims to illustrate just how easy it is to get your hands on a lethal weapon. Gun crime remains a particular problem in Chicago, which has suffered 862 shootings already this year. 

The exhibit also includes a screen that allows people to donate to the Brady Center, which is proposing three policy changes including extending background checks for all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines and passing extreme-risk protection order laws that allow courts to prohibit someone from owning a gun if they pose a threat to themselves or others.

"Our goal here is to start a conversation on one of the more burning issues of our day, and in the process, raise much-needed funds for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence," said Vinny Warren, ECD at The Escape Pod. "This issue is especially relevant to our home town of Chicago, which has suffered more than most from the plague of gun violence."