Amelia Finefrock
Trump has yet again misused Chicago to make a case against gun regulations and fact check time – despite what Trump says about Chicago having “the strongest gun laws in our nation.” BUT this is not true. It once was but the laws that gave it that distinction have since been revoked. Trump also noted that Chicago was “a disaster” which we all know is an opinion as other cities – with significantly less stringent gun laws – have astronomically higher rates of gun violence.
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Experts warn against picking cities to score political points – as examples can be found to fit arguments on either side. They also note that Chicago has stricter laws than most cities but is bordered by states that have lax gun laws. And there is strong evidence that most of the guns confiscated from crimes in Chicago come from out of state.
RELATED: Chicago gun control measures proposed after Las Vegas shooting
And as many have noted before – there is no evidence that gun control results in higher murder rates. Studies actually show the opposite: States with a higher number of firearm restrictions have lower firearm deaths but there is only an association between gun control laws and firearm deaths – not a casual relationship.
In a 2017 gun trace report from the Chicago Police Department found that since 2013 the “overwhelming majority” of recovered “crime guns” that were traceable “were originally purchased outside of the city limits and brought into Chicago.” And the majority were from other states.
RELATED: Current gun control laws should have prevented the Texas massacre — we don’t need more
Pfaff did add that police could only trace 12,500 of the 28,000 guns seized during the study period, so most of the gun’s origins could not be determined.
But the report strongly suggests that many of the guns used in Chicago crimes come from outside the city — which would in turn water down the effect that any local gun laws might have. Experts warn it would be unwise to leap conclusions much like Trump did and does – regarding Chicago’s effectiveness of gun control efforts.
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