Last week the Chicago Tribune pointed out that nearly 100 people had been shot in Chicago in less than a week. 9 people were killed on Monday alone marking the deadliest day for the city in 13 years. Now, with weekend data out, turns out the story is even worse. For the week ended 8/13, a total of 110 people were shot in Chicago with 24 of them killed. YTD statistics indicate the city is spiraling out of control with total shootings up to 2,621, a mere ~50% YoY increase, with 445 total homicides.
The current homicide rate through August indicates the city is on pace for over 700 homicides in 2016, a 63% increase from 2015 (see chart below).
And all of this - as we pointed out previously - In continued defiance of the Democrat narrative calling for stricter gun laws, Chicago's homicide problem just keeps getting worse despite gun laws that are already among the most restrictive in the country. If fact, even the New York Times described Chicago's gun laws as some of the "toughest restrictions," saying:
Not a single gun shop can be found in this city because they are outlawed. Handguns were banned in Chicago for decades, too, until 2010, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that was going too far, leading city leaders to settle for restrictions some describe as the closest they could get legally to a ban without a ban. Despite a continuing legal fight, Illinois remains the only state in the nation with no provision to let private citizens carry guns in public.
Finally, despite some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, 87% of homicides were committed with firearms, up from 79% in 2010. So how could the city that has the toughest gun laws in the country, laws described as the "closest they could get legally to a ban without a ban," also have some of the highest gun-related homicide rates? Could it be, that criminals looking to use weapons for violence have a lower propensity to follow laws and that by banning guns you're really just taking them out of the hands of law-abiding citizens that wouldn't have used them for violence anyway? Just a thought
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