It is no secret that Chicago is a violence-plagued city, that takes turns with the District of Columbia as America’s “murder capitol.” It is also no secret that Chicago’s handgun ban fails to disarm criminals, while serving only to ensure that crime victims are defenseless. A recent series of shootings in Chicago underscores this point:
A woman was killed and at least eight others were injured in four separate shootings that occurred in just over an hour Wednesday night on the South Side. . .
About 9:30 p.m., an unidentified person shot four people standing in the street in the 9400 block of South Burnside Avenue, according to police News Affairs. A fifth person, a woman, was injured — but not shot — in the incident, authorities said. . . . In a separate shooting about 8:40 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was outside in the 7400 block of South Colfax Avenue when he “heard shots and felt pain,” according to Grand Crossing District police. . . About 9:30 p.m., an 18-year-old man and a 22-year-old man were shot at 6101 S. King Dr., authorities said. . . About 10 p.m., a 27-year-old man was shot in the upper chest area in the 300 block of East 115th Street. The man was taken in critical condition to Christ Medical Center, Langford said.
By any account, this was a violent 80 minutes. However what is really sad is how this type of violence is commonplace in Chicago. In the last year, the have been days where 5 people are shot in a single neighborhood, nights where 10 people are shot, and weekends that see over 30 people shot by criminals who scoff at gun control laws, just as they scoff at the law against murder. Amazingly, many Chicago politicians still like to blame guns for these crimes, and trot out more ineffective gun control laws, completely ignoring the fact that existing gun control failed, and a criminal willing to break the law against murder will be just as willing to break another half dozen gun control laws. Adding insult to injury, these same politicians are protected by armed bodyguards (at taxpayer expense), while denying ordinary citizens the right to armed self defense.
Until Chicago citizens are able to lawfully defend themselves against criminals, like these people have done, I just don’t see the situation improving.