Gun control is one of the most important measures that all States have had to take since the public took hold of arms and used them at their will. The Many States implemented very strict gun laws so that the crime rates can drop and people can feel safer. The strictness of these laws has occurred in the light of the recent school shootings; gun control has become stricter and more closely watched than it was in the past.
Privately owned guns circulate at a number around 250 million (Clark and Barrabi). These are licensed guns which are used by citizens for various purposes such as security or as self-defense. However what makes this amount of guns a problem is the lethality associated with such a high rate of gun use (Clark and Barrabi). The homicide rate in America is higher than that of any other developed nation mainly due to the higher rate of possession of guns by individuals. Therefore, the need for deterrence began with the need to reduce the homicide rates. Chicago, for instance, is one State where 80% of the homicides occur due to firearms and uncontrolled use of guns. Moreover about three-quarters of the homicide victims were found out of their homes, which means that guns were being used openly in public for the crimes (Clark and Barrabi).
The implementation of the gun laws and proper gun control began in the early 1970s when Chicago and the suburban municipalities took a lead in the firearm control legislation and began working to make a change in the ways of the State. There were certain citizens’ groups like the Committee for Handgun control, which was established in 1973, renamed the Illinois Citizens for Handgun Control in the year 1982 (Clark and Barrabi). The organization and the city’s politicians and general public worked together with the legislative forces of the country to implement one of the country’s strictest gun control laws. The Mayor, Richard J. Daley spoke up for the stand he had taken in support of the harsh laws and against the gun’s rights activists of the State by testifying on gun violence in the year 1972 and called for the formation of a special court which would handle gun crimes (“Guns”). Chicago was facing such high violence rates due to the use of firearms that the political figures of the State even thought of the idea of freezing and prohibiting the allowance on gun purchase and possession (“Guns”).
Then in the year 1982, Morton Grove became the foremost municipality in all of the America which placed a ban on the sale, transport as well as possession of handguns. National attention was attracted by this phenomenon when the federal judge announced the ban. This was when the National Rifle Association also started a campaign which urged many states in America to create legislation which would anticipate gun regulation and scrutiny, by giving power to the municipal governments.
This campaign was not successful in Illinois. Since the pace of crimes was so high in the State, in 1982 Mayor Jane Byrne had to enact the ordinance which was proposed by Ed Burke, who believed there needed to be a further ban on the sale and registration of guns in Chicago (Robin). This proposition received strong support and appraisal from the allies of the Mayor, and thus, the legislation was passed. Individuals owning licensed guns prior January 1982 were not restricted from keeping possession of their guns (Robin). This act was the first that made Chicago the first important American city that actually enacted a gun freeze in American history.
Following suit, other suburban areas also passed similar gun laws in order to take control over the situation. In 2012, however, the Federal court appealed that citizens should be allowed to carry their arms nevertheless, concealed. In 2013 on the other hand, the entire ban and the legislation made upon it was rendered unconstitutional by U.S District Judge Edmond E. Chang. The ban on firearms was apparently was something not ordained by the Constitution (Robin). This has not been confirmed or questioned because the city is still torn between agreeing with it or by disagreeing. The matter, however, reports a different story. In spite of the ban and restriction on the purchase of guns, the crime rate in Chicago has not dropped.
There are certain activities that are being carried out in the city which might involve the transport of guns from another place to the city itself. In 2014, there were about 2587 shooting victims in the city as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Compared with New York, their police department reported around 1381 victims in the same year, and the irony of the matter lies in the fact the New York has about three times the number of people than Chicago (Elkin). There have been statements such as the crime rate would not go down even if there were stricter gun laws in the city. Gun control in the city itself is managed but there are close-lying areas, and the close vicinities of the city are like porous borders which help to pass guns along the way into Chicago. Moreover, gangs and mobs are common in Chicago (Elkin). This calls for the obvious possession of illegal firearms and weapons. Guns which had been recovered from crime scenes or the criminals were mostly out of Illinois and most definitely not from Chicago. A police search has seen that gangs operating in Chicago have their connections in Indiana, Gary and other nearby areas which help them gain access to guns (Elkin).
Therefore even if there is gun control in Chicago, there is weak gun control in surrounding areas like Indiana or Mississippi, which makes it difficult to regulate gun control and reduce homicides and murders by gunshots in the city. If the proper control needs to be gained in one city, then strict measures need to be applied uniformity in all the rest as well.
Work Cited
Clark, Meagan, and Thomas Barrabi. “A Short History of Chicago’s Battles with the Courts over
Gun Control.” Business 7 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 June 2016.
Elkin, Alison. The problem with using Chicago to make the case against gun control.
Bloomberg.com/politics, 6 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 June 2016.
“Guns.” The University of Chicago. 2016. Web. 17 June 2016.
Robin. A brief history of the evolution of gun control in the U.S. AICGS. 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 17
June 2016.
