If memory serves me, Washington DC was the Murder Capital for many years. Of course DC has always been one of the most tough on guns. What I mean by that are gun sales, gun ownership of the citizens, and the basic ability to protect ones self, home and family. Here is an excerpt from The Washington Post to illustrate my point.

By David Nakamura and Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, March 10, 2007; Page A01

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the District’s longtime ban on keeping handguns in homes is unconstitutional.

The 2 to 1 decision by an appellate panel outraged D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and other city leaders, who said that they will appeal and that gun-related crimes could rise if the ruling takes effect. The outcome elated opponents of strict gun controls because it knocked down one of the toughest laws in the country and vindicated their interpretation of the U.S. Constitution’s language on the right to bear arms.

The panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit became the nation’s first federal appeals court to overturn a gun-control law by declaring that the Second Amendment grants a person the right to possess firearms. One other circuit shares that viewpoint on individual rights, but others across the country say the protection that the Second Amendment offers relates to states being able to maintain a militia. Legal experts said the conflict could lead to the first Supreme Court review of the issue in nearly 70 years.

Now we move on the great city of Chicago. Chicago has now the esteemed honor of being the new Murder Capital. Of course Cook County and Chicago are is one of the toughest places now on earth to buy, own and god forbid carry a gun. At the end of this article will be a posted excerpt from a Chicago blog.

How hard is it for these state officials to see that where ever concealed carry laws have been enacted, the crime rate goes DOWN!!!! There is not one city in the US where concealed carry has been enacted and the crime rate, or more important, the murder rate has risen. If you don’t believe this blog, just google the matter for yourself. There is no argument of this fact, and it is a cold, hard fact.

The only possible answer can be that these legislators want one thing, the complete and under dependence by the citizens on the state governments, the police, and most important, they want control. Control of what we do, what we think, how we act and even how we think. Put a stop to state governments that ban handgun ownership. Stand up for freedom and vote these left wing loony rat bastards right out of office. I did vote for the Dems this last time and through it all I am still glad I did. The whole lessor of two evils thing you know.

In a city where there has been a hand-gun ban on the books since the early 80′s, shootings are on the rise again. Not since 2003 has Chicago held the ugly title of Murder Capital (not per capita either), with the recent outburst of gun violence this past weekend in Chicago, it looks like they are in the running again for the title of Murder Capital in 2008.

quoted article follows:

CHICAGO (WLS) — At least 37 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend. Eight of the shootings were fatal.

Chicago police received dozens of 911 calls about the gun violence around the city this weekend. They acknowledge that 37 shootings is a big number for a three-day period.

Six people were hit in three separate shootings late Sunday night on the city’s West Side.

At about 10:30 p.m., witnesses say a car pulled up to a group of men standing on the corner of 21st and California and someone inside the car started shooting. A 26-year-old construction worker was killed and two of his friends were wounded.

Mouth Sinai Hospital treated three gunshot victims, including a man and woman who pulled up to the emergency room in their bullet riddled minivan.

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed near Karlov and Polk.

Maria Bejar decided to move from the Little Village neighborhood after her brother was shot to death last year.

“Hopefully, law enforcement gets stronger and hopefully they work something out on, because it’s ridiculous that I can’t enjoy myself at night because I’m always worried about getting shot or killed,” said Maria Bejar, Chicago resident.

Police superintendent Jody Weis continues to blame gangs for the ongoing violence.

“You have too many guns and too many guns and too much drugs on the street,” said Jody Weis.

Stopping the violence is now becoming a priority as the weather begins to warm up.

“It’s going to be a long summer. Parents better take responsibility for them,” said Daley.

Chicago’s gangs

One gang expert in Chicago says that it is not just a matter of getting additional gun legislation, but also addressing the bigger problem of resolving poverty, especially in some of the most oppressed communities of the city. He said that one of the important things is to address these concerns, such as housing, displacement of residents. This displacement has, in his words, led to conflicts between gangs that used to be living in different areas. Now as they come together, conflict erupts over turf as these people try to compete for their business.

Criminologist and author John Hagedorn also went on to comparing the city of Chicago to the city of New York, which had one-third the homicide rate of Chicago last year. The reason for this, he said, is because the gangs are more entrenched here and therefore it is harder to fight

Wven though there has been a sharp decrease in homicides and other gun-related violence from 10 years ago, the fact remains Chicago last year had 443 homicides, New York had 496, but New York has three times the population, which effectively means Chicago has three times the murder rate.

Hagedorn says it goes back to the drug wars of the 1990s.

“In New York, nobody was really happy they were there and bringing the violence and so when the police cracked down, it broke the gangs up. Here, those same gangs have been there for 50 years,” he said.

Hagedorn is the author of a book on gang culture. He says because the gangs are more entrenched here and less structured, they are harder to eradicate and he points to city housing policies which have weakened already poor neighborhoods.

“The housing needs to be improved. Lawndale used to be 120,000; now it’s 40,000 people. Where are they? Nobody knows. We need to invest so that the people who live there have a reason to stay there,” he said.

Hagedorn said if people are invested in the communities that they live in, they will no longer tolerate the gangs conducting their drug business there.

Any city that has this much crime and this lack of control over the streets most certainly needs to free and open hand gun laws for its citizens. If more people take a stand against this garbage something might someday, get done about it.

-BW