As reported, criminals in Oak Park have continued their armed robbery spree, in spite of Oak Park’s misguided attempt to be “gun free”. Making matters worse, the robbers seem to be increasingly violent.
* On January 19, an Oak Park man was walking on South Humphrey near Van Buren, when a teenager attacked him while two accomplices watched. The man fought back, and was able to throw off the attacking teenager. A second teenager instructed the first teenager to “just shoot” the man, and the first teenager then drew a black pistol. All three teenagers turn and ran when the man rushed toward the armed teenager.
* On January 21, a man was riding the Blue Line train near Oak Park Avenue, when another man told him to hand over his wallet, on pain of death. The robber reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny object believed to be a weapon, then punched the man in the face while another man choked him. The robbers escaped with the man’s wallet and $46.
* On January 24, an Oak Park woman was folding clothes in a laundromat on the first block of Chicago Avenue when three teenagers entered. One of the attackers pointed a black pistol at the woman, while another took her iPod and $50.
Just about every week, I write an article about the handgun-related crime that is plaguing the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL, and how the Oak Park handgun ban does nothing to prevent crime. Sadly, Oak Park politicians continue to fight tooth and nail to keep the decades old handgun ban, in spite of overwhelming evidence that it not only fails to prevent crime, but instead ensures that Oak Park’s law abiding citizens are unable to defend themselves against home invaders and other violent criminals. Given that Oak Park is having trouble find the money to pay police officers and buy road salt, perhaps the time/money/energy expended trying to uphold the likely unconstitutional handgun ban could be better spent on things that actually benefit Oak Park’s citizens?
For those reading this page who still support handgun bans on the theory that such bans will disarm criminals, I have a question: If a criminal is willing to commit the much more serious crime of armed robbery (or murder), how could a law that tells that same criminal not to have a gun possibly be effective? I’m of the opinion that anyone who rationally ponders that question, and looks at evidence from the US as well as other countries will inevitably reach the conclusion that gun control laws just don’t work at disarming criminals. The fact is that criminals who want guns will get them, whether they steal them from the police, smuggle them into the country, or manufacture them at home.