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.
