Chicago Homicides Down as Criminal Fears of Armed Citizens Rise

It looks like Chicago had 88 less homicides last year compared to 2012.

Some think the decades old handgun ban that has been lifted probably because of the 2010 Supreme Court ruling might be factoring in.

Some experts say that criminals fear armed citizens.

Maybe just a coincidence ?

Last year saw the City of Chicago reportedly post the fewest homicides since 1965, and the Second Amendment Foundation says one plausible explanation for at least part of the decline is because criminals can no longer be certain that their intended victim is not legally armed.

Since SAF’s landmark Supreme Court victory in the 2010 McDonald v. City of Chicago case that nullified the 30-year-old handgun ban in the city, increasing numbers of law-abiding citizens have obtained firearms for personal protection, noted SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.

“For three decades,” he said, “street thugs essentially enjoyed a risk-free environment in the Windy City. That changed, thanks to a series of court victories stemming from SAF’s win in the McDonald case. That forced the city to enter the 21st Century and rejoin the United States where the right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment.

Chicago Homicides Down as Criminal Fears of Armed Citizens Rise

reply to post by xuenchen


It will be interesting to see the long term data, again.

Repeatedly data shows a correlation between allowing law abiding citizens to carry guns and lower crime rates.

To me it seems like very basic common sense but somehow there are people who don't connect dots well.

reply to post by xuenchen

Kinda comes back to "An Armed Society is a Polite Society" I saw firsthand evidence of this in Key West back in the early 80's. Florida passed a gun control law that pissed a lot of folks off. It had a loophole that made open carry completely legal.

The gun community responded by everyone in Key West (and a ton of visitors) were walking around with sidearms. The end result was an absolute end to bar fights...... People were just nicer to each other.

There is a reason for bar fights, someone always thinks they will win. This ends when everyone has what they used to call "An Equalizer". Kinda hard to be a bully when everyone is packing the same caliber.


Personally I find it a sad testament to Society.

reply to post by OrphanApology


Yea, I'd like to see some long term data too before jumping to conclusions, but so far this seems to be baring out like the OP is claiming. I'm not really surprised.

Krazysh0t
I'm not really surprised.

Its as surprising as a chicken laying an egg.

But, its not like its going to change anything in the gun control debate.

reply to post by Mamatus


It is sad but it is the way of the world, might is right and all that... You can see the same behavior in larger structures, like social groups or nations... Sad that we still condone it to be so....

The Detroit police chief likes the idea.

If more citizens were armed, criminals would think twice about attacking them, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Thursday.

Urban police chiefs are typically in favor of gun control or reluctant to discuss the issue, but Craig on Thursday was candid about how he’s changed his mind.

Detroit Police Chief: the city is safer when good people can carry a gun

reply to post by xuenchen

It looks like Chicago had 88 less homicides last year compared to 2012.

Some think the decades old handgun ban that has been lifted probably because of the 2010 Supreme Court ruling might be factoring in.

Some experts say that criminals fear armed citizens.

Maybe just a coincidence ?

That would make sense if criminals were gunning down random people on the street, but usually it's gang or ego related, criminal on criminal.

If anything, you'd be better off comparing it to generational gaps. A big group of lost kids grow up at the same time, no different than a country going to war every 50 years or so, the last generation learns from half of their "boys" getting cut down and peace ensues, until another generation comes up with the same grand idea.

Immigration also plays a role. An influx of refugees from a war torn state seems to boost the numbers too. (Not blaming them per say, merely pointing out cause & effect.)

xuenchen
The Detroit police chief likes the idea.

If more citizens were armed, criminals would think twice about attacking them, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Thursday.

Urban police chiefs are typically in favor of gun control or reluctant to discuss the issue, but Craig on Thursday was candid about how he’s changed his mind.

Detroit Police Chief: the city is safer when good people can carry a gun

I wonder what he would say about countries or cities that have low gun ownership and low crime rates. To say that giving everyone a gun is going to cure a cities woes is kind of stupid.

Socioeconomic and political factors play into crime. Simple as that. There is plenty of crime in the US jail system. A astronomical number of rapes. If all prisoners are armed with guns would everything be hunky dory the next week?

No.

And someone might say, "But they is criminals!" Yeah. So in other words, guns don't automatically address underlying causes of crime though… Ok. Exactly.

reply to post by Mamatus

There is a reason for bar fights, someone always thinks they will win. This ends when everyone has what they used to call "An Equalizer". Kinda hard to be a bully when everyone is packing the same caliber.

"God created man, Sam Colt made them equal."

Sad but true

reply to post by MadHatter364

I love that quote and am not even a gun nut. Baton Rouge Louisiana had a big problem with car jackings. right up until they made a law that allowed a witness (or victim) of a car jacking to shoot and kill the thug.

That reduced car jackings by 80% overnight.

reply to post by xuenchen


" A study by Mark Gius, an economist at Quinnipiac University, shows states with restrictive concealed weapons laws had higher gun-related murder rates, and that assault weapons bans had no real impact on murder rates at the state level.

“These results suggest that restrictive concealed weapons laws may cause an increase in gun-related murders at the state level,” Gius wrote in his summary.

Results that will not be well received by gun control advocates. "


www.bizpacreview.com...


These Higher Rates more than likely are due to the Illegal use of Unregistered Guns by Criminal Elements . Gun Control Advocates don't give a Rats Ahass about the Safety of Law Abiding Citizens in this Country and Never Did to begin with . Their Agenda is Dictated by those who Wish to make America just another Defenseless Third World Country . I would also bring into Question their Loyalty to a Constitutional Republic with a Thought Process such as theirs.........

88 isn't a big number by any means but it's a step in the right direction. 5 years from now will tell us if that is indeed the real reason.