Possibly the Alderman should just carry a concealed handgun: Powerful Chicago Politicians have been getting armed bodyguard protections for decades

This powerful city alderman supported gun control at the same time that he demanded two armed body guards protect him at all times.

Mr. Burke, 67 years old, received his security detail in 1983, when he was a prominent critic of Harold Washington, the city's first black mayor, and the city was deep in racial and political strife.

In 1986, the acting Chicago police commissioner tried to reduce the number of Mr. Burke's bodyguards to two from four. The alderman sued the city, arguing that the move was political retaliation. The police countered that the manpower was no longer necessary because threats against Mr. Burke had petered out, according to court transcripts.

Mr. Burke's attorney argued at the time that his client wouldn't be safe with only one officer assigned to him. If he was being pursued by an attacker at high speed in a car, the lone bodyguard would have difficulty driving while simultaneously calling for backup and shooting at the pursuer, the lawyer said, according to transcripts filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The court sided with Mr. Burke, who went on to become Mayor Richard M. Daley's key legislative ally. The court also said the matter should be reviewed every few years. . . .

In May, before he stepped down, Mr. Daley told reporters he had been the subject of threats throughout his career and defended the need for a continued security detail. "The safety of my family comes first," he said.