Since Ward Room’s post “The Deadliest Global City” was linked on the Drudge Report, we’ve heard from hundreds of gun lovers.
They all have a similar message: Chicago’s murder rate is proof that gun control doesn’t work, and Chicagoans would be safer if we could carry concealed weapons.
Illinois has the most restrictive gun laws of any state. We prohibit conceal carry, and require a Firearm Owners Identification Card to purchase and carry a gun. So I decided to compare Chicago with other American cities where it’s easier to obtain and carry a gun. If the commenters are correct, they all must be safer.
And yet, there are numerous American cities with higher murder rates than Chicago but looser gun restrictions than Illinois. Here’s a partial list.
Flint, Mich: 55.8
Detroit: 48.2
(Michigan allows conceal carry, and requires license and registration for handguns, but not long guns.)
New Orleans: 50
(Louisiana allows conceal carry, does not require a license or permit to buy a gun, but requires a license to carry a handgun.)
St. Louis: 45.3
(Missouri allows conceal carry, does not require a license or permit to buy a gun, but requires a license to carry a handgun.)
Gary, Ind: 43.6
(Indiana allows conceal carry, does not require a license or permit to buy a gun, but requires a license to carry a handgun.)
Baltimore: 31
(Maryland allows conceal carry, and requires a permit and registration to carry a gun.)
Philadelphia: 20.7
(Pennsylvania allows conceal carry and does not require a purchase permit or registration; Philadelphia requires a License To Carry Firearms)
Atlanta: 20.1
(Georgia allows conceal carry, does not require a license or permit to buy a gun, but requires a license to carry a handgun.)
This month, Ward Room blogger Edward McClelland’s Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President will be available on Kindle for $2.99. Tracing Obama’s career in Chicago from his arrival as a community organizer to his election to the U.S. Senate, Young Mr. Obama tells the story of how a callow, presumptuous young man became a master politician, and of why only Chicago could have produced our first black president.
