User:SergeantMarshalSnake/Crime in Chicago

Chicago gun laws and gun dealers
The city of Chicago has one of the strictest stances on guns in the nation, but still has one of the highest murder rates. It is estimated that 80% of homicides in Chicago are committed with firearms. Chicago recorded 780 murders in 2020. This figure represents an increase of more than 55% over 2019. On the Fourth of July weekend 2021, at least 100 people were shot, 18 of them fatally. Murders for 2021, are trending higher than 2020.

Chicago has a ban on guns designated as "assault weapons" and laser sights. Additionally, under Illinois law, to own a firearm one must possess a firearms owners’ identification (FOID) card, undergo a background check, and wait 72 hours before taking possession of a purchased firearm. Lost or stolen guns must also be reported to law enforcement within 72 hours. There are currently no gun stores in the Chicago city limits.

About 7000 guns are recovered by Chicago police each year at crime scenes. An estimated 45% of these guns are bought by straw buyers in states with lax gun laws, namely Indiana. In April 2021, the City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Westforth Sports of Gary Indiana, alleging that it consistently ranks as one of the highest suppliers of guns used in crimes. The city claims that during the period from 2009 to 2016, 850 recovered guns were originally purchased from Westforth Sports.

On June 23, 2021, President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered a speech on their new plan to reduce violent crime. Their plan emphasizes community outreach and preventative measures to ensure guns do not end up in the wrong hands. Over a billion dollars has been secured to go towards community intervention, substance abuse, mental health resources, and preventative measures like gunshot detection systems. They aim to curtail the inflow of guns to high violence areas, like Chicago, by encouraging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to revoke the licenses of gun dealers who sell guns without preforming the federal and state mandated background checks. The plan will also provide the ATF with additional funding to conduct more thorough gun dealer inspections and promote a better flow of information between state and territorial agencies to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands.