Chicago Mayor Blames the Guns, Not the Criminals

by
posted on August 14, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
26185854406_1ff7ccfb80_k.jpg
vagueonthehow courtesy Flickr

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) recently chose to blame guns for the actions of a criminal after a police officer was shot in the line of duty.

Multiple Chicago officers were shot during what was a routine traffic stop, with one officer’s injuries being fatal. The next day, Lightfoot tweeted, “We have a common enemy: it’s guns & the violence they bring.” 

Incredibly, the Chicago mayor made no mention of the criminals who committed the heinous, cold-blooded attack throughout her multiple tweets on the matter.

It is also worth noting that Chicago, as well as Illinois, has some of the most-strict gun-control laws in the nation, yet the criminals in the city seem to still obtain them. Of course, they ignore the laws at the expense of Chicagoans who do follow the rule of law.

This isn’t the first time that Lightfoot has misguidedly blamed anyone but herself and her own city’s laws. Last year, she claimed a rise in violence was the fault of cities and jurisdictions around Chicago rather than the very city she governs. 

“We are being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons—that is hurting cities like Chicago,” said Lightfoot

This statement, like her recent one, is off base and far from factual, but anti-Second Amendment politicians like Lightfoot often bury the truth in pursuit of their anti-gun agenda. 

In fact, Lightfoot’s most-recent comments echo those made by President Joe Biden (D), his press secretary, Jen Psaki, and other anti-gun politicians who routinely blame firearms for the actions of criminals throughout our country.

When asked if the country had a crime problem, Psaki said, “There is a guns problem, and that’s something the president would say.”

Not long after those remarks, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) blamed an uptick in crime on the idea that there are “just too damn many guns out there.”

Law-abiding Americans know that guns aren’t the problem, though. After all, firearms are inanimate objects. They are tools that, when handled safely and responsibly, can protect one’s self, family, and more against those who seek to do harm. 

As such, the NRA tweeted an edit to Lightfoot’s statement. “We have a common enemy: it’s criminals with illegal guns & the violence they bring.”

Latest

10 Lies About Guns And Crime The Trump Administration Has Exposed
10 Lies About Guns And Crime The Trump Administration Has Exposed

Dispelling Anti-Gun Disinformation | Here Are 10 Lies About Guns And Crime The Trump Administration Has Exposed

Crime is a major problem in the United States, 66% of Americans believe, with 81% saying it is a major problem in large cities, according to an August 2025 poll by the Associated Press/NORC [previously the National Opinion Research Center].

The Greatest Second Amendment Victory in a Century

On July 4, 2025, Americans celebrated not only our nation’s independence, but also the restoration of our constitutional Second Amendment rights becoming unconstrained by burdensome and arbitrary fees.

Opening Salvo | More Evidence That Gun-Control Groups are Freaking Out

With the Trump administration’s law-and-order push showing America’s crime problem is clearly not the fault of lawfully armed citizens, gun-control groups are freaking out.

John Rich has a Song for Armed Citizens

John Rich's latest song is "The Righteous Hunter." It is a moving tune about standing up to stop those with evil intentions. It is a song for lawfully armed citizens.

This Department of Education Grant Could Change Things

The University of Wyoming’s Firearms Research Center has been awarded a nearly $1 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education to develop a nationwide program on the origins, meaning and implications of the Second Amendment.

From the Editor | Charlie Kirk Lived for Freedom

“Give me liberty, or give me death,” are the immortal words of Patrick Henry spoken on March 23, 1775, to the Second Virginia Convention in Richmond, Va. His impassioned words were a call to arms against British tyranny.  

Interests



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.