It's Not a Gun Problem
It is the second day of the new year, and there are already six “mass shootings”. However, I want to break them down a little. (source)
*** NOTE *** As a Marine, the word “gun” isn’t a word that we use to discuss a firearm or a rifle/pistol. I will use the word “gun” as that is what the general public uses.
The first shooting was in Chicago, which is ironic as Chicago’s gun laws are among the most restrictive in the United States. So let’s break this down first, before we get back to the mass shootings. First, we will look at the state of Illinois, then the city of Chicago.
Illinois Gun Laws
To legally possess firearms or ammunition, Illinois residents must have a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, which the Illinois State Police issues on a shall-issue basis. Non-residents who may legally possess firearms in their home state are exempt from this requirement.
To obtain a State-issued FOID card, the applicant must be 21 years or older and pass a State Police background check. The FOID must be present at any transaction where a gun or ammunition is traded hands. The card does not mean the applicant can carry or conceal a firearm.
Chicago Gun Laws
In 1982, Chicago enacted some of the strictest gun laws in the country. However, it does not restrict the sale or possession of handguns, as the 1982 ban was found to be unconstitutional in 2010. However, it is still illegal to sell, possess, or use an assault weapon, such as an AR-15-style rifle.
There are many more restrictions to owning or using a firearm in Chicago, but let’s just admit that Chicago, as well as Illinois, has some of the strictest gun ownership laws in the country.
However, in 2022, 1,505 people died by guns in Illinois. Chicago ended 2022 with at least 723 people murdered by firearms.
Alright, back to mass shootings. According to Wikipedia, there were six shootings so far in 2023, with the first being in Chicago; however, this is “mass” shootings, not just shootings. If you want to learn what qualifies as a “mass shooting, you can read more.
Sticking with mass shootings, the first shooting in Chicago was a car-to-car shooting (likely gang related) where a 17-year-old boy died and three others were injured (source). The police used a ShotSpotter gunshot detection system.
The second shooting in 2023 was in Durham, North Carolina, where five people were shot in a drive-by shooting (source).
The third shooting in 2023 was in Clinton, Maryland, where two people died and two were wounded in a domestic violence incident (source).
The fourth shooting in 2023 was in Ocala, Florida, where two were killed and four were wounded (source).
The fifth shooting in 2023 was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where one person was killed and three were injured (source).
The sixth shooting in 2023 was in Mifflin Township, Ohio, where one person was killed and four were wounded outside of a strip club (source).
The sad part about the above shootings is that, except for one, they are all gang-related. And no matter how many rules, policies, and laws are enacted, you will not get gangs or gang members to abide by them.
So let’s look at the Chicago shootings so far this year, not just “mass shootings” (source).
- Austin McAllister was killed and another was wounded at 1:30 a.m. on Jan 1 (source)
- An unknown 17-year-old male was killed around 1:19 a.m. on Jan 1 (source)
- An unknown 30-year-old male was killed around 4:30 a.m. on Jan 1 (source)
- An unknown 52-year-old male was killed around 4:18 p.m. on Jan 1 (source)
- Jarvis Watts (9 years old) was killed around 6:30 p.m. on Jan 1 (source)
And sure enough, all these appear to be gang-related.
Alright, we can clearly see that we do NOT have a gun problem, we have a gang problem, we have a mental health problem and we have a policing problem in this country. When I say we have a policing problem, I am NOT in any way stating that our police are NOT doing their jobs. They are in a battle like no other battle before. Some police departments see more gunfire than many units of the U.S. Armed Forces. Many police departments are understaffed and can not enforce many of the laws that they are hired to enforce. But this post isn’t about the outstanding job that many of our police officers do on a daily basis, this is about guns and the gang and mental health problems that this country has.
Just looking at the above shootings, you can clearly see the gang connections and the gang problem. One way to get the gang problem under control is to offer programs to the inner city youth and other government programs, but I’m not on my soapbox about government programs. I’m standing in my box about the mental health problem we have in this country.
I do NOT have a solution for this and I learned that if I don’t have a solution to a problem then I should keep my mouth shut as I’m part of the problem. So with that being stated, I will stand down and get off my soapbox. But yeah, Houston, we’ve had a problem.
