commentaries

As a new CCW permit holder I have to ask with Chicago/Illinois having some of the strictest gun laws how does this continue to happen? The gun control side says we need tougher laws but the gun advocates will say look at Chicago. Who is right...?

It is not just shootings with hand guns that take place in Chicago. It is stabbings, robbery, beatings, rapes, all kinds of freaking unbelievable behavior towards others. One of the most shocking stories coming out of Chicago was a month or so ago a 15 year old girl was taking the trash out to the curb and at the same time a big SUV passes by and a passenger jumps out brandishing a pistol and orders her into the car. She refuses and he knocks her out with a pistol whip and picks her up off the ground and throws her in the car. They take her to a house and then 5 creeps take turns raping her. Thank goodness they got caught and hopefully they won't come in front of a liberal judge. Hopefully they will be put away for a long, long time.

When you look at all the terrible things people do to other people there, other than shootings, you realize it is not an issue of too many guns in Chicago, it is an issue of too many thugs in Chicago. The shootings get all of the attention though.

In MA, when a citizen and police officer had an issue, President Obama firmly spoke to the issue in a press conference. Even had the gentleman at the White House for a brew. The shooting in FA between a Black and Hispanic (not Caucausion) drew remarks from President with a tone of discrimination against Black Youth. In Illinois, his home state and more specifically, Chicago, two former Governors in federal prison. Representative Jackson and spouse headed for federal prison. Then there are the on-going murders (many between Blacks), and not a peep from President Obama. During the previous administration, was, Culture of Corruption part of the Democratic mantra?

In MA, when a citizen and police officer had an issue, President Obama firmly spoke to the issue in a press conference. Even had the gentleman at the White House for a brew. The shooting in FA between a Black and Hispanic (not Caucausion) drew remarks from President with a tone of discrimination against Black Youth. In Illinois, his home state and more specifically, Chicago, two former Governors in federal prison. Representative Jackson and spouse headed for federal prison. Then there are the on-going murders (many between Blacks), and not a peep from President Obama. During the previous administration, was, Culture of Corruption part of the Democratic mantra?

Chicagoans have been voting in machine politicans for decades hoping things change and they don't. The great liberal experiment is an utter failure.

At one time all the violence was contained in the high rise public housing units called Cabrini Green. Liberals, being the socially conscious bunch that they are, tore down the high rises and spread the disease around the city. Now you have turf wars in many neighborhoods instead of just one. Between the high taxes and violence in Chicago why would you live there, or Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, LA or any other major cities that have been under democrat control forever?

When welfare becomes a way of life, the unintended consequence is that it traps many in perpetual poverty. They're scared to earn money 'on the books' that might nullify some, or all, of their government benefits. So, to 'earn' some of the nicer things that money can buy, they find ways to earn it 'off the books'. This results in violence because these endeavors are usually illegal and the police cannot be called when things go awry. They have to take care of it themselves.

Perhaps it is the people not the guns. After all a few miles away in Oak Brook or Arlington heights, there no rash of gun violence. Same metro area, same politics, but more law abiding people.

The inconsistency between Chicago having strict gun laws but still having a high rate of gun crime has many causes. (Anyone who thinks there is a single answer to this problem is living in a fool's paradise. Live doesn't work that way, no matter how much we wish it did.). But one of the contributing factors is the fact that you can drive the equivalent of the distance from Brooklyn Center to Bloomington and be in Indiana and completely free of the strict restrictions on buying guns. It does little good to try to control gun violence if your next door neighbor undermines what you are trying to do.

The simple fact is that laws restricting guns won't curb "gun violence" because only legal gun owners follow the laws, not the criminals. It's the criminals that are shooting and killing people. This simple fact is lost on all the gun control advocates, or maybe not. Maybe they really aren't intersted in curbing violence, just restricting guns. Is that why they are trying to frame this debate as "gun violence" instead of what it truly is; violence? Let's face it, if someone places zero value on human life and is willing to shoot someone for no reason at all, there is a much deeper issue than guns.