Chicago has surpassed its 500th homicide, deeming 2016 the deadliest year in the city’s history. The most recent victim of these senseless killings was Father and Grandfather Jerry Lee Cummings, whose life was taken on September 8th. In 2016, Chicago has seen more deaths than Afghanistan and Iraq. Back in 2008, the end-of-year toll was just over 500. But as the city reaches this mark by August, it’s on a path to a devastating spike on the statistics board.
So what does this mean? The people missing from Chicago’s streets are more than just numbers and charts. They’re friends and family to many others. What’s causing extreme violence around these neighborhoods? Some residents believe it’s an economic issue, however, the city’s unemployment rate recently fell to 5.5%. The real issue is a combination of social tension and lack of gun control.
Gun advocates often point to the "Windy City" in defense of their second amendment rights. Illinois, notorious for its “strict” gun laws, keeps finding itself in the midst of gang altercations. Though certain presidential candidates claim its restrictions as “stringent”, Chicago’s laws resemble those of other major cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Chicago officials argue the answer isn’t simply restricting guns, but creating proper consequences for those who illegally buy and sell them. About sixty percent of guns collected from crime sights were purchased in states with looser laws that were then brought over into Illinois borders.
Police can only do so much in these situations. As gang violence reaches its peak, civilians are no longer safe on their way home. The only way to lower the Chicago death toll is a nation-wide agreement of gun laws. Background checks are only performed during 60% of gun purchases. With gun shows and plenty of gun-friendly states, this 40% that neglected the background check is enough to cost the nation thousands of lives. Not to mention from an economic standpoint, Chicago taxpayers lose $52,000 per gunshot victim due to lack of insurance. So if the fear of mass-spread violence we are seeing grow in Chicago doesn’t convince you, maybe the additional hit to your pockets will.
This steady incline of both injured and lost victims in a single city shouldn’t leave us unshaken. This year, Chicago reigns the most dangerous city, but the spread of violence could easily reach any city come 2017. With people growing frightful and angry, who knows what is to come if we don’t enact safety precautions sooner rather than later. It’s sad to think we’ve lost innocent lives who could have achieved much more. We cannot let the young, who could someday be our heroes, fall anymore.
