Chicago’s ABC 7 reported that 82 people were shot—15 fatally—over the Independence Day weekend. The death toll included 7-year-old Amari Brown, who was hit Saturday by a bullet intended for his father, Antonio, a gang member with 45 arrests.

At a press conference on Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy blamed weak sentencing laws, referencing 12 suspects who have been arrested with a gun twice this year—some of whom still walk free. Certainly, Brown’s long rap sheet evidences a systemic problem—one further illustrated by the fact that in 2014, Chicago ranked 82nd (out of 90) in federal weapons prosecutions.

But McCarthy also continues to blame “lax gun laws,” claiming, “Gun possessors are potential murderers.” While Chicago still has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the U.S., none of its criminal murders are committed by lawful permit holders, who carry because Chicago can’t cope with its own crime.

New Hampshire was recently poised to extend recognition of permitless carry of concealed firearms, following the example of nearby Vermont and—more recently—Maine. Senate Bill 116 was passed by the state legislature, but Gov. Maggie Hassan vetoed the bill. 

“Governor Hassan’s veto sends a clear message that she is listening to billionaire gun-control activist Michael Bloomberg over New Hampshire voters,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.

Given that New Hampshire already recognizes permitless open carry, it is unclear what harm Hassan expected to come from a bill that simply allowed legal removal of a jacket or cover garment. It appears that she is more than willing to throw away the rights of her constituents in favor of impressing her political benefactors.

On June 30, an armed robber ambushed former CNN personalities Lynne Russell and Chuck de Caro while the couple was vacationing in Albuquerque. The suspect opened fire, but de Caro, a concealed-carry permit holder, shot back, fatally wounding the assailant.

Russell recently told FOX411 that she owes their survival to the Second Amendment:

“The discussion over the debate to own a gun is just ridiculous,” she said. “As Americans, we have the right to bear arms, and as humans the right to protect ourselves. I’m sure that the man who shot my husband did not have a gun permit. Criminals will always have guns.” 

Russell also praised her husband’s ability to remain calm under pressure:

“He saved my life. I’m grateful that he is a responsible gun owner. He’s former Special Forces—he knows how to handle himself.”

De Caro remains hospitalized with three gunshot wounds, but is expected to be released later this month.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest is at it again: When criminals are criminal—surprise—blame pro-gun politicians. Don’t blame the criminal, and particularly not the repetitively violent, illegal subculture he is a part of.

The occasion for the latest round of excoriation of anyone handy except the alleged criminal is the fatal shooting last week of a San Francisco woman. Never mind that the suspect is a repeat felon. Never mind that he had already been deported five times. And especially never mind that an immigration detainer request from ICE was simply ignored by the sheriff’s department: San Francisco is a “sanctuary city,” and doesn’t honor such requests.

Instead, Mr. Earnest calls for “common-sense steps … that would make our streets safer.” What is common or sensible about policies that mean fewer rights and more intrusions for you, and expanded (then abused) liberty for alien, felonious—and perhaps even murderous—criminals?

A New Orleans woman who was being violently attacked by her abusive boyfriend did what gun-ban advocates want us to believe never, ever happens—she used her gun to put a quick end to the nasty situation.

According to police reports, over the weekend Randy Johnson allegedly “brutally physically abused the woman by choking and strangling her.” He also hit her in the face. At some point during the attack, the victim managed to break free from her attacker, retrieve her firearm and shoot him, stopping the violence.

According to press reports, the victim then called police and said, “I shot him; I couldn’t get him off of me.” After being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the groin, Johnson was booked on a count of domestic abuse battery by strangulation.

A man fatally shot while breaking into a home in Upper Marlboro, Md., was an ex-boyfriend of the man who shot him, police say.

Baltimore resident Craig Ivan Corbin Jr., 30, was shot early Monday as he tried to climb in the window of a two-story house in the gated community of Meadow Gate Estates. The homeowner who shot him reported the incident to police at about 2:40 a.m., and Corbin was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt. 

County court records show that Corbin and the ex-boyfriend, who was not identified by police, had a turbulent history going back to at least 2013, with multiple arrests; charges of assault filed by each man against the other; and protective orders issued. Police are working with prosecutors to determine whether charges will be filed.