Chicago Mayor is in Denial About Chicago’s Gun Control Failure

During an interview with New This News, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blamed Indiana’s relatively lax gun laws for crime in Chicago. Lightfoot does not even acknowledge Chicago gun control playing a role in the city’s notorious issues with gun violence.

Lightfoot argues that criminals take advantage of Indiana gun laws by traveling out of state and obtaining firearms to later use them on the streets of Chicago. She then called for federal gun control laws, such as universal background checks, to solve this problem.

Chicago has built a reputation for its anti-gun ordinances. Chicago banned the ownership of handguns in 1982, and since it was in place until 2010, this gun ban has contributed to its rising homicide rates. After all, bans like these leave the law-abiding defenseless against criminals.

The results were apparent when Chicago had a gun ban on the books. In 1993, the Chicago Police Department reported on 850 homicide cases. This was 100 more homicides than the city recorded in 2016. The 1990s were a rather violent period in Chicago.  In 1991, there were 921 homicides. In the following year, there were 940 homicides. 1994 witnessed 930 homicides according to Chicago Police Department reports.

Thankfully, the Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) helped overturn this ban.

The good news is that people are waking up to the futility of gun control in Chicago. Even Democratic State Representative La Shawn Ford is starting to acknowledge the viability of concealed carry and is encouraging his constituents to carry in the face of increased crime.