Tough Gun Control Laws In Action: Chicago Hits 500 Homicides in 2012

| December 28, 2012

Chicago-Murder-Rate400x267Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will I’m sure will try to defend the strict gun control measures that have been in place that were recently found unconstitutional by a federal judge.  It’s a wasted defense.  The verdict has been reached in the arena of simple facts, their gun control measures have been a failure.

WGN in Chicago reports that Chicago has reached 500 homicides for 2012.  500!

Chicago has hit a dismal milestone. A late night shooting has marked the city’s 500th homicide for the year.

40-year-old Nathaniel Jackson was shot on the city’s West Side around 9 p.m Thursday. He was pronounced dead shortly after midnight. The victim’s family has confirmed his identity.

Chicago Police say Jackson was shot in the head while standing outside a convenience store at Augusta Boulevard and Lavergne Avenue in the Austin Neighborhood.

One relative told WGN that Jackson had recently been released from jail and was living with a friend on the West Side.

Circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear. No arrests have been made.

What’s sad is that it isn’t the first time Chicago has reached the 500 mark.  They also hit 500 in 2008.

Gun control does not prevent gun crime – period.  It would be far more productive to address the root causes of violence than the instruments that some use.  The news out of Chicago should discourage tougher (and unconstitutional) gun control laws, but I’m sure that will fall on deaf ears with Feinstien and company.

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Category: Illinois Politics, Second Amendment

About the Author ()

Shane Vander Hart is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caffeinated Thoughts.  He is also the President of 4:15 Communications, LLC, a social media & communications consulting/management firm.  He is a communications director for American Principles Project’s Preserve Innocence Initiative.  Prior to this Shane spent 20 years in youth ministry serving in church, parachurch, and school settings.  He has also served as an interim pastor and is a sought after speaker and pulpit fill-in.  Shane has been married to his wife Cheryl since 1993 and they have three kids.  Shane and his family reside near Des Moines, IA.  You can connect with Shane on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Google +.
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1578168779 Darius Dpas Deepazz Smith

    What is called for is better enforcement of the current gun laws and a closing up of the loopholes in these laws, combined with better treatment for those with mental health issues. Better education about guns would help too. There is a slew of resources that we can use to reduce gun violence. The problem with the gun issue is that gun control works in some places and not so much in some more and that folks here oppose any new legislation for fear they’ll be unfairly stigmatized, but there should be ZERO excuse for NOT doing something to prevent and/or significantly reduce these incidents from happening. A violent society does not do much for the world; a safer and more peaceful one does.

    • http://shanevanderhart.com/ Shane Vander Hart

      Here’s the problem with your argument. Guns = violence… guns are a tool, it is people who are violent. Switzerland for instance has a society that encouraged responsible gun ownership – mainly because of how their militia is set up, but you also have an extremely low gun violence rate per capita. Norway discourages carry weapons and has strict gun control measures.. remember the 80 people shot and killed from one lone gunman? Allowing people to carry responsibly could have helped mitigate that tragedy. Your idea of a less violent society is certainly a noble, albeit naive notion. We won’t see that this side of heaven and unfortunately criminals don’t share your view. All that gun control measures do is keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. It may make it a little more difficult for a criminal to get their hands on one, but it certainly isn’t impossible.

      • http://www.GraniteGrok.com/ Rick Olson

        Actually, Switzerland has many of the novel gun control, registration, possession laws in place, European States are so fond of. With no standing Army, however, Military Firearms are possessed by the citizenry. Because they have no standing army, it is inculcated culturally that at the age of majority, every citizen takes Military training. Unlike other states where Military service is voluntary or one is conscripted.

  • Mark

    Correlation does not imply causality.

  • Kara

    Gun control in Chicago really started in 1982 and then suburbs added on slowly until assault weapons were banned in 1992. In 1992 they had the most murders ever at 943. Since then the numbers are 855, 931, 828, 796, 761, 704, 643, 633, 667, 656, 601, 453, 451, 471, 448, 513, 459, 436, 433, 499. Your point again ?

    • http://shanevanderhart.com/ Shane Vander Hart
      • kaffeenjunkie

        Detroit (the former murder capital) is about half of Chicago’s rate. You can get a concealed carry permit in Detroit.

        • steve

          Yeah but a fraction of the population.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1294577767 Garrett Neal

        Actually Cook County, where Chicago is located, does have an assault weapons ban.

    • vanderfk

      1982 to 2012. 30 years of gun control? I think you make the point very well given that they are at 500 murders as we type…..

    • Alondra

      Libtards with their LYING propaganda. As ALWAYS.

      What a surprise!!!

      Kara, Homer Simpson would say to you: “Kara, you tried your best and you FAILED MISERABLY. The lesson is, never LIE AGAIN.”

      • Ivan Geroy

        Certainly the voice of reason!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/K7MJEFEUZDDUZQA7PITYAD7UXQ Benjamin

    Rahm Emmanuel is clueless. Not surprising, since he’s worked closely with Obummer.

  • David Shedlock

    One of your best columns ever, Shane. KUTGW.

  • rtcell

    I think NYC has just hit the lowest murder rate since they kept stats… or something like that; so saying “Chicago has higher crime because of gun control” based on the current number (or even trend) is wrong, and it is not confirmed by NYC example. What would be really interesting is to compare homicide trends in Chicago before and after banning guns, and compare with trends in some other place (Houston? Some place in Alaska?) which does not have gun ban. I bet we’ll see similar trends everywhere, maybe exaggerated a bit in Chicago due to gang issues (same as in TX due to the neighborhood ).

    There was an interesting research on Australia crime rates before and after their gun ban… it turned out the numbers were going down before the ban, then spiked right after the ban (I guess criminals got encouraged) but then levelled off and declined for years, hitting 16% lower than the “pre-ban” rates this year. During the same time, in US the crime rates moved 25-48% lower (depending on the study, and the specific state) without any bans. But US crime rates started to fall from much higher numbers …

    This is the problem with the current debate – very few people (if any) are willing to look at statistically valid data and do honest comparison. Everyone is just trying to prove a preconceived view.

  • Don

    The reason for most murders are drugs and gang related we ought to outlaw drugs
    and gangs,oops forgot they are.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1294577767 Garrett Neal

    Funny how this isn’t one of Yahoo’s top stories.

  • Alondra

    “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.” – The Second Amendment

    “A free people OUGHT not only to BE ARMED and disciplined, but THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT ARMS AND AMMUNITION TO MAINTAIN A STATUS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM ANY WHO MIGHT ATTEMPT TO ABUSE THEM, which would include their own GOVERNMENT.” – George Washington, the Founding Father, the 1st President of the USA, the 1st Commander-in-Chief

    People, DO NOT LET Congress ignore & re-write Constitution. It’s the LAW of the LAND.

    “The said CONSTITUTION SHALL NEVER be construed to AUTHORIZE CONGRESS TO PREVENT THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES who are peaceable citizens FROM KEEPING THEIR OWN ARMS.” – Samuel Adams, the Founding Fathers of the United States, one of the leaders of American Revolution, 4th Governor of Massachusetts, political Philosopher

    • Ivan Geroy

      You couldn’t be expected to know this but the Judicial Branch is not Congress and the Militia defense has already lost in the courts going back to the 1920′s.

  • Alondra

    To commit a crime/murder you do not need firearm.

    1) The deadliest mass school murder in United States history was on May 18, 1927 in Michigan’s elementary school (Beth School) in which 38 children (7-14 years of age), 2
    teachers and 4 other adults were killed and at least 58 people were injured.

    The perpetrator DID NOT USE ANY GUNS. He set off three HOME-MADE bombs.

    2) Germany. On June 11, 1964 in the Cologne school massacre 8 children and two teachers died, 20 children and 2 teachers survived with very severe burns.

    The perpetrator DID NOT USE ANY GUNS. The method of murder was: FIRE (a HOME-MADE flamethrower constructed from a garden sprayer) and STABBING with a long lance.

    3) Belgium. On January 24, 2009 the perpetrator killed by STABBING 2 children and ONE adult in Nursery school; 2 adults and 10 children were in a critical condition. NO GUNS were involved.

    4) China, August 02, 2012. A teenager has killed 8 people and wounded another 5 in a KNIFE ATTACK. NO GUNS were involved.

    5) China, on September 2011. 4 people were killed and ONE child and ONE adult were seriously wounded by AXE.

    How many people in U.S. are murdered by strangulation, suffocation and choking
    (by HANDS)?

    How many people are killed by cars?

    People killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States.

    2009 – 33,883; 2010 – 32,885; 2011 – 32,310.

    Let’s ban Knives and cars.

    • Ivan Geroy

      You had me up to when you brought in suffocation, choking and cars.

  • Ivan Geroy

    What you fail to see (I know, it’s the rhetoric.) is that their loss is your loss. It’s very simple. Until the killings go down there will be more ineffectual laws and frustration because of the outrageous killings. You do know you’re in the minority, right? The only way things will get better for responsible gun owners is to encourage your friends to practice responsible gun ownership. The last two incidents involved one person who left guns available to an emotionally disturbed teen. The other, where two of the best of us lost their lives, the bad guy must have just found those guns laying around on the way to the shooting, because as a bad guy (felon) he shouldn’t have had access to guns. Or, we can assume that a bad (greedy) guy who had guns was just irresponsible enough to sell or make available to this repeat killer, that really nice sniper rifle. Guns don’t kill people but people with guns do. Until those guns are not available to bad or sick people there is going to be a real PR problem for gun lobbies and the NRA. There is no way to stop all the bad guys. What needs to happen is to see that people who own guns are safety conscious (NRA used to teach that as a ‘good’ thing.) and responsibly secure their weapons when they’re not needed. There need to be enforceable laws that require people store their weapon(s) in a way that keeps us all safe. (Understand that if a person feels they need a gun in the bedside table, that’s fine, better with a trigger lock. But if they don’t have a permit it should be in the safe when no one is home.) That’s not the rack in the F-150 or over the fireplace. Shouldn’t gun owners be responsible? If we’re not, we leave ourselves open to to the actions of others and the eventual loss of our current rights. The only hope we have for sustained ownership is to put our own house in order.

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