Gone but not forgotten: Chicago's gun ban.
It's been a supremely busy news day. I could have just as easily courted "the career of John Paul Stevens" or "Mr. Bader-Ginsburg" or "Kagan's poker-face" to conclude the tag line for today's post ... but I chose to go with the one that most hits home.
Since 1982, handguns have been banned in Chicago. In the past two weekends, at least 76 people have been shot (11 fatally) -- so what comes next? Will the number of walking wounded grow exponentially, or will the shooters die off as folks arm themselves -- or will there be no noticeable change at all -- a draw, so to speak -- because the ban's proven ineffective in curbing violence?
I can remember when all my friends back home went through the "gotta get a gun" phase (cruising the loop was such a dangerous past time?) and shooting tracers into the sky at the rock pile was something we did to pass the time. And when I go to visit family in Indiana, I've tagged along to the shooting range to try out my relatives' collection of firearms (sadly, I'm not that good a shot and seem to get confused about which eye is dominant as I line up to hit the target). Recreational use -- responsible ownership -- reasonable registries: it seems like those should be the goals we're advancing. People sure do get fired up about the issue, and although it looks like the bullet's in the chamber to kill this law and the Supremes pulled the trigger today, I fear more litigation and legislation is around the corner.
Rules that prohibit me from finding a handgun under my Christmas tree in years past (not a hint, just saying it could happen if the right person draws my name in the gift exchange), will you be missed?
TALLY OF THE WEEKEND 's WALKING WOUNDED IN CHICAGO:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/06/at-least-3-dead-in-weekend-chicago-shootings.html
OFFICIAL SITE OF THE GUNCASE THAT PREVAILED TODAY:
http://www.chicagoguncase.com/
FROM THE "CHICAGO HAS A P.R. PROBLEM, NOT A GUN PROBLEM":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/chicagos-image-problem-th_n_575324.html
REASONABLE GUN CONTROL FROM THE VIEW OF AN OFFICER OF THE LAW:
http://www.officer.com/web/online/On-the-Street/Op-Ed--Reasonable-Gun-Control/21$49245
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