I keep hearing people saying gun laws don't work, then using Chicago as an example.

[Snake Plissken]

Well Chicago has never had a mass murder where the death toll went into double digits. Even the death toll of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre during prohibition was only seven people, and the victims were all career criminals. Chicago has a problem with career criminals who use guns to commit crimes for profit, it's a localized problem as is the case in other large cities across the country.

I'm getting tired of being lumped in with all these deranged killers just because I own firearms, thorough background checks on all gun sales, which include mental health screenings are long overdue.

If Devin Kelely was able to pass a background check by checking a box saying he didn't have a disqualifying criminal history and using an out of state address, something is seriously wrong. Why would any responsible gun owner be against functional background checks?

What we are dealing with here are deranged people purchasing guns to randomly kill as many people as possible with no motive of profit, it is terrorism plain and simple, and it's what we should be focused on preventing, instead of looking for excuses to do nothing

[maxsolomon]

1. How would you feel about lengthy waiting periods after purchases?

1, 2, 3 months, a year, depending on the type of firearm?

and, in addition to background checks, interviews with police or community boards?

something tells me a half-hour conversation with any of these rampage killers about why they need a semi-automatic would send off alarm bells in nearly anyone.

[Snake Plissken]

9. I wait longer than that for a custom guitar, so I don't see a problem

[roamer65]

2. Chicagos problem is Indiana.

Too many guns come over from Indiana.

[DaleFromWPB]

5. Then why don't they have a similar murder rate in Indiana?

[treestar]

7. No big city

at least not as big as Chicago. There is crime in big cities which is never going to be wiped out entirely.

[jberryhill]

16. What is your source for the murder rate in a comparable area of Indiana?

Gary Indiana has a rate of 53 per 100k.
Chicago has 55 per 100k.

http://www.wlky.com/article/gary-homicide-rate-among-highest-in-nation/3745886

Are you suggesting the relevant comparison is between the entire state of Indiana and the city of Chicago? Or just the urban areas in which the rate of human interaction of any kind increases geometrically?

[zipplewrath]

15. Well...

I mean, I get your point. But Cleveland, Detroit, and Lexington could probably all argue the same point, but I'm dubious you'd find similar statistics there as we do in Chicago.

[Bleacher Creature]

3. My understanding is that Chicago's problem a largely due to its proximity to Indiana

Pence's home state is pretty awful when it comes to gun laws.

[Amishman]

12. If Indiana's gun laws are the problem, why does Indiana have lower crime rates?

The problem in Chicago (and other high crime cities) is poverty and lack of opportunity. Guns and gun control are both unrelated to the real issue.

[jberryhill]

17. Because comparable areas of Indiana do not have a significantly lower rate

The murder rate in Gary Indiana is just about the same as Chicago. http://www.wlky.com/article/gary-homicide-rate-among-highest-in-nation/3745886

[zipplewrath]

4. Gonna love Afghanistan

I tell the 2nd amendment types that if they really think that more guns means more "freedom" and "safety", they're really gonna love Afghanistan.

[treestar]

6. It is two different things

Ordinary criminals gathered together in a large city could account for a lot of gun murders. And mostly criminals vs. other criminals. But these mass shootings don't occur in Chicago.

In Australia, I have heard that the criminals have guns still, but at least it is illegal and they can be charged with having them / jailed or whatever and that mostly they use them against each other anyway.

No gun ban stops criminals from having guns, but they would have penalties if caught just for having them and if they used them in a crime would have additional penalties added for using them in the crime.

[Snake Plissken]

11. Exactly, people are trying to conflate career criminals with terrorists, they're not the same

And should not be treated the same

[pandr32]

8. It is a go-to talking point

...and works if you fail to point out that Chicago is bordered by two states (really close) with weak gun laws and it sits on Lake Michigan's edge. Guns flow into Chicago easily from elsewhere.
Chicago is a perfect example of why we need strong federal and not state gun control laws and enforcement.
We need to counter this talking point every time we hear it!

[maxsolomon]

10. Nuance is ignorable

when you need everything black or white.

[peggysue2]

13. Take a look at Australia

Gun laws did, in fact and would in fact, work. But not for the NRA which goes out of its way to sow fear and paranoia, depending on the Republican Party to provide an echo chamber for its business model. This is why we can never have a conversation on reasonable gun regulation because rationality and logic might break through the bubble. After Sandy Hook, 90+% of American citizens, including gun owners, wanted to have that conversation. The NRA and its toadies shut it down. Because . . . Blood Money.

[VOX]

14. 10/30/17 WaPo: 6 in 10 illegal guns in Chicago come from outside Illinois (link)

I keep this article handy for all those lazy “but Chicago” comments online.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/30/chicago-says-the-illegal-guns-fueling-the-citys-violence-mostly-come-from-out-of-state/
Chicago says the illegal guns fueling the city’s violence mostly come from out of state
A new report found that six-in-10 illegal guns in Chicago came from somewhere outside Illinois.
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