Logically, if gun control laws were effective, the locations with the strictest laws should see dramatic reductions in crime when compared to more lenient places. The most recent numbers out of Chicago show the exact opposite.
According to this story from breitbart.com, July 2016 was the “deadliest July in 10 years” for the heavily gun-controlled city, with a stunning 65 people shot and killed.
This is, unfortunately, nothing new for the Windy City. The Chicago Tribune says these figures merely tie a record set in 2006 when 65 people were murdered in the month of July. Chicago’s homicide total for the seven months of 2016 alone is nearly 400. The number of homicides for the entire year of 2015 was 490.
The only consolation that Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson could come up with, was that July’s totals were better than June’s, when 72 homicides were reported.
But when you consider the total number of shooting victims, including those who survived, the numbers skyrocket. During the elapsed portion of 2016, there were 2,395 shooting victims reported in the city. There was a total of 2,988 shooting victims for all of 2015.
These numbers exist despite the city’s Blair Holt Assault Weapon Ban, “violence tax,” and strict rules for buying a handgun. Handguns were previously banned in the city until 2010.
To buy a long gun, residents are required to have a Firearm Owner Identification card and each handgun requires a permit to purchase, in addition to the ID card. There are no civilian gun ranges in the city, and there is also a magazine capacity ban. There were no gun shops in Chicago until a January 2014 court decision that rejected the ban.
There are also no sales or transfers allowed at gun shows in the city. Until 2013, there were no provisions for citizens to legally carry firearms in public, until the Firearm Concealed Carry Act went into effect.
According to this story on dnainfo.com, police in Chicago say the biggest problem is a lack of serious repercussions for those who commit repeated gun crimes.
The story says that, from January 1 to September 30 last year, there were 2,477 people arrested on gun charges. Of that number, 600 had been arrested on weapons charges before:
Here’s a breakdown from the story:
Two arrested had five prior arrests on weapons charges.
Six had four priors
28 had three priors
132 had two priors
460 had one prior