Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois recently lamented over the raging violence taking place in Chicago, and despite that city´s laws which basically outlaw the ownership of handguns, announced publicly that "something is wrong, and this violence has to stop."
While at a bill-signing ceremony for another gun control law, Gov. Blagojevich made the following statement: "Violent crime in the city of Chicago is out of control. I´m offering resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything we can possibly do to help stop this violence."
During that same ceremony, Blagojevich reminded reporters of the sad fact that there had been a child shot to death in Chicago, almost every day since June 26. In fact, the streets of the Windy City have become so deadly that Blagojevich is considering sending in the Illinois National Guard, and asking retired police officers to return to duty.
Blagojevich said of his plans to use the National Guard: "It might be able to free up some resources that the Chicago police uses for capital needs, to be able, to maybe to, hire more police officers, or possibly ask some to come out of retirement, to put them into these violent zones, hot zones, where clearly, I think, part of the challenge is that gang bangers outnumber police officers five to one."
The state of Illinois has placed many obstacles between citizens and their Constitutional right "to keep and bear arms." Illinois is one of only two states in the country which does not allow concealed carry. Incredibly, open carry of firearms is also illegal throughout the state.
Illinois also requires residents to obtain a Firearm Owner´s Identification card, in order to purchase ammunition as well as a firearm.
Chicago municipal law dictates that all guns be registered with the police. However, the city does not permit handguns to be registered, which places a ban on handguns for lawful Chicago residents. Additionally, the Chicago suburbs of Evanston, Highland Park, Morton Grove, Oak Park, Wilmette, and Winnetka have all outlawed the ownership of handguns.
Despite such tough restrictions on the ownership and carry of guns, there were 435 murders last year in Chicago. Since 1990, an astonishing 12,639 people have been murdered in Chicago.
2008 is shaping up to be one of the most violent in the city´s history. To date, there have been more than 500 murders this year alone in Chicago. According to information released by the Chicago Police Department, 491,000 total crimes had been committed this year alone, in the city by June 15, 2008 (18,162 robberies; 1,623 sexual assaults; 3,930 weapons violations).
The unarmed citizens of Chicago are truly at the mercy of violent thugs. If allowed their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, those horrendous aforementioned statistics would undoubtedly be much lower.
Florida State University professor and ACLU member Dr. Gary Kleck conducted a 1993 nationwide study, in which he concluded that U.S. citizens use guns to successfully defend themselves 500,000 times a year, outside of the home. A 1996 University of Chicago study found that states which passed concealed carry handgun laws experienced an 8.5 percent drop in murders, a 5 percent drop in rapes, and a 7 percent drop in aggravated assaults.
It is simply impossible for the police to defend us 24 hours a day. Nor can they somehow pre-empt crime. It is the responsibility of every citizen to defend himself. However, if governments create laws which make the possession of firearms illegal, the lawful citizen becomes nothing more than a target for the lawless.
The city of Chicago is a great example of not only how useless gun control laws are in decreasing violent crime, but of how those laws actually increase violent crime by effectively providing a safe-haven for violent thugs. Of course, criminals feel much safer victimizing a community, when they know that the vast majority of their victims will be unarmed.
The citizens of Chicago do not need the National Guard, they simply need the right to arm themselves.
While at a bill-signing ceremony for another gun control law, Gov. Blagojevich made the following statement: "Violent crime in the city of Chicago is out of control. I´m offering resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything we can possibly do to help stop this violence."
During that same ceremony, Blagojevich reminded reporters of the sad fact that there had been a child shot to death in Chicago, almost every day since June 26. In fact, the streets of the Windy City have become so deadly that Blagojevich is considering sending in the Illinois National Guard, and asking retired police officers to return to duty.
Blagojevich said of his plans to use the National Guard: "It might be able to free up some resources that the Chicago police uses for capital needs, to be able, to maybe to, hire more police officers, or possibly ask some to come out of retirement, to put them into these violent zones, hot zones, where clearly, I think, part of the challenge is that gang bangers outnumber police officers five to one."
The state of Illinois has placed many obstacles between citizens and their Constitutional right "to keep and bear arms." Illinois is one of only two states in the country which does not allow concealed carry. Incredibly, open carry of firearms is also illegal throughout the state.
Illinois also requires residents to obtain a Firearm Owner´s Identification card, in order to purchase ammunition as well as a firearm.
Chicago municipal law dictates that all guns be registered with the police. However, the city does not permit handguns to be registered, which places a ban on handguns for lawful Chicago residents. Additionally, the Chicago suburbs of Evanston, Highland Park, Morton Grove, Oak Park, Wilmette, and Winnetka have all outlawed the ownership of handguns.
Despite such tough restrictions on the ownership and carry of guns, there were 435 murders last year in Chicago. Since 1990, an astonishing 12,639 people have been murdered in Chicago.
2008 is shaping up to be one of the most violent in the city´s history. To date, there have been more than 500 murders this year alone in Chicago. According to information released by the Chicago Police Department, 491,000 total crimes had been committed this year alone, in the city by June 15, 2008 (18,162 robberies; 1,623 sexual assaults; 3,930 weapons violations).
The unarmed citizens of Chicago are truly at the mercy of violent thugs. If allowed their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, those horrendous aforementioned statistics would undoubtedly be much lower.
Florida State University professor and ACLU member Dr. Gary Kleck conducted a 1993 nationwide study, in which he concluded that U.S. citizens use guns to successfully defend themselves 500,000 times a year, outside of the home. A 1996 University of Chicago study found that states which passed concealed carry handgun laws experienced an 8.5 percent drop in murders, a 5 percent drop in rapes, and a 7 percent drop in aggravated assaults.
It is simply impossible for the police to defend us 24 hours a day. Nor can they somehow pre-empt crime. It is the responsibility of every citizen to defend himself. However, if governments create laws which make the possession of firearms illegal, the lawful citizen becomes nothing more than a target for the lawless.
The city of Chicago is a great example of not only how useless gun control laws are in decreasing violent crime, but of how those laws actually increase violent crime by effectively providing a safe-haven for violent thugs. Of course, criminals feel much safer victimizing a community, when they know that the vast majority of their victims will be unarmed.
The citizens of Chicago do not need the National Guard, they simply need the right to arm themselves.
