Stack ’em up nearly 500-feet tall: Chicago gun-related homicides hit 600+

Gun-related homicides in Chicago have reached a new high in 2017, surpassing a body count of at least 600 dead human beings.

If you were to stack those bodies one on top of the other, a graphic graph would look something like this, in comparison to the height of Sears Tower:

If you were to stack bodies of people who died in gun-related homicides in Chicago 2017, it would be nearly 500-feet tall

In short, Chicago’s restrictions on firearms ownership are deadly. They do more harm than good, making unarmed people easy prey for gun-bearing thugs who care nothing about gun laws.

“600” is a nice, tidy number, but the bottom line is that Chicago’s a total mess.

I lived in Chi-town from 1996-2001. The gun situation was ugly, to say the least. There, I learned that an unarmed populace is easy prey. The break-ins, shootings, homicides, and lost lives were a brutal reality.

Combining my firsthand experiences with second-hand accounts from friends, my stack of Chiraq stories is seven-feet deep. There’s plenty to share; here are two of many, many, many:

On a bicycle ride home from work one night, someone shot at me. I could not see the shooter (the bullet came from behind), but as the bullet sped past me, it made an unforgettable whizzing sound, like what you might see/hear in war movies. I pedaled mightily, for I was more interested in zipping home, rather then calling the police. I doubt the shooter would’ve pulled the trigger if he thought there was a possibility I was packing heat.

Another Chiraq adventure comes from my then-husband/current frex (friend who’s an ex). Once upon a time, back in our Chicago era (Chicago error?), he walked with his pal to the corner store to fetch some goods. To get to the door, he had to step a few feet around a dead body. Cops had just arrived at the scene; the victim was a Latino man who’d been shot by another fella.

If gun-controllers like Chelsea Handler, Julianne Moore, and other privileged celebrities had to step around a dead body each time a Chicagoan was gunned down, they might reconsider their just-one-more-gun-law-will-fix-gun-tragedies strategy.

Whilst the 2010 McDonald case has opened up things a bit, the remaining gun laws of Chicago are extensive and harsh, making it incredibly difficult for the average law-abiding citizen to purchase a tool of self-defense.

Years ago, Joe Huffman encouraged me to blog about my experiences of living in gun-controlled Chicago. He said my pro-gun/pro-self-defense advocacy had a place in gun rights history, and that people would want to read my writings. I’m not sure if that’s true; today, I’m finally giving it a shot, putting pen to paper, fingers on keyboard.

I know there are scores of current and former pro-gun Chicagoans out there who could publicly share their eyewitness gun tragedy stories. But most won’t, out of fear. Pro-gunners from all walks of life understand the consequences of speaking up for their right to armed self-defense: bigotry, harassment, and persecution from anti-gun folk.

On the most basic level, we’re used to being yelled at by bitter GunCoggers. “Shut up! You’re a liar!” is the kind of language they embrace.

Outspoken gunfolk have had their lives threatened to the point of needing to relocate. Vocal anti-tyrannyists have been ousted from families, fired by employers, tattled on by tattlers, and targeted by anti-gun politicians. Some have experienced the meddling of their medical records. Others are locked in cages, incarcerated. Or worse.

I can relate to all of the above. I know I’m not alone. We’re not alone.

I write not for sympathy or attention. I write to shed light on what gun control looks like at ground zero in Chiraq. Nobody needs to go through any of that.

My investment in the gun rights matter is rooted in the fact that I’m profoundly saddened by the 500-foot tall pile of dead bodies in Chicago, plus scores of others elsewhere. Those were real people, not numbers. Heavy is my heart.

To the current residents of Chicago, do what I did:
Get the hell out of Dodge; dodge with Godspeed out of Chicago.

—–
Definition of “gun-related homicide” is here.

#Chiraq #Chicago #GunCog

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12 thoughts on “Stack ’em up nearly 500-feet tall: Chicago gun-related homicides hit 600+

  1. It saddens me to see what I consider my hometown fall so far. I grew up in the ‘burbs of Chicago from ’59 until my family moved to Wisconsin in 1980 with a few excursions away for College. The “roughest” area near me was Harvey. And even with that, at the tender age of 16 & 17 (which would have been the early ’70’s) I was allowed to commute downtown on the train from a station somewhere just south of Harvey for music lessons.

    Yes, I lived in the area when ‘King Richard the first’ was mayor – and it was actually very peaceful.

    In my early 20’s, I drove a delivery van in the downtown and near south side (to south of Comisky) – which was considered “the baddest part” of town (think of the song Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce). With very few times where I felt in danger.

    After moving away I got married and wound up moving back for 3 years to the northwest ‘burbs in the early ’90’s. Sadly, the vibe of the city had begun to change by then.

    It is sad, but these days, when people ask, I tell them I’m from the Chicago area, and that it is a nice place to be from…. but I wouldn’t move back for love nor money.

    Besides, I enjoy living out in the country where I am now. With all the folks carrying around here, I actually feel quite safe! (Moreso than when I lived in Seattle and worked near what Joe calls “Mugme Street”

    • Ha! I almost integrated a video of Bad Bad Leroy Brown into this post, but decided to save it for another writing on another day.

      Yes, I, too now enjoy the benefits of living in a well-armed community. On days where I might not be conceal carrying, I find peace in knowing that, in a group of say, 20 people (maybe even 10?), it’s quite possible that at least one person is cc’ing. But we’ll never know the real stats, and that’s a beautiful thing.

  2. Nice work.

    Suggestion: replace “copyright-free” by “in the public domain”. That’s the standard term, “copyright-free” does not have an obvious meaning.

  3. By all means, leave Chicago… but please, leave your Chicago politics behind. They ruined that once-great city, they’ll ruin any city they migrate too.

    • Hopefully those types will migrate to California. And hopfeully California will secede ASAP.

  4. So, adding up the last 3 to 4 years the pile of dead people in Chicago is about as tall as the SEARS tower. What a glorious achievement, Democrats! Please again tell me how you love black people when you let them kill each other at this rate?

    This is the face of gun control and Democrat “leadership” and so it is true in Detroit, Washington DC, and other liberal / progressive / Democrat run cities.

  5. With the exception of the FOID (Firearms Owner IDentification) card (which is shall issue and CCW, which is shall issue) and a 10 round mag limit the rules for handguns have been eliminated. This is by statewide preemption for handguns.

    There are differences of opinions as to whether LASERs on handguns are legal or not.

    Chicago is still covered by the Cook County (where Chicago is located) AWB for long guns.

    There is no firearm registration for Chicago or Cook County.

    Murder rate has increased since these changes have taken place. I am NOT saying they are connected merely stating facts. IMHO Ferguson and a particular police shooting http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/27/us/chicago-officers-indicted-laquan-mcdonald/index.html are the most likely cause of the increase.

    What is worrisome about murder rate and the violence increase are not only the amount of the increase but also the locations into what were previously considered “safe” areas but also the times when they are committed, now they are commonly occurring not only during daylight but 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

    • Yes, sadly the politics of the county have also changes since I lived there – I actually lived in unincorporated Cook County growing up. And again that was the ’60’s and ’70’s. The family on my mother’s side was quite involved in county politics (one of my ancestors was a county board member and chairman for a short time). He would be spinning in his grave given what is going on now.

  6. The blue collar suburbs are getting bad, too. In my old neighborhood in Aurora, as a 12 year old, I would walk the 2-3 miles downtown to the library. I wouldn’t walk that route today as an armed adult.

    Progress, or something.

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