Chicago: the New Beirut

Signs that the Chicago Gun Turn-In was not successful were evident over the weekend. In continuation of what can only be called an orgy of violence, nine people were murdered and 37 were injured in Chicago over the weekend. Unsurprisingly, Mayor Ramen Noodle Emanuel called for Illinois "to pass stronger gun laws in this state." Again unsurprisingly showing a total lack of knowledge (or being intentionally deceitful) about the Illinois gun laws he said, "We're not talking about repealing conceal/ carry, but making sure we have a tougher set of laws dealing with assault weapons and other types of guns."

 Uh Rahm, just an FYI... Illinois is the only state out of all 57 that specifically bans carrying concealed guns. I guess maybe he meant that they wouldn't change the law to lift the ban.

 Contrast that story with this one from Jacksonville, Florida. A 57 year old grandfather with a concealed carry permit shot a killed an armed robber at a Dollar General Store and drove off his accomplice.

 So lets do the math shall we? A city in a state with the country's most restrictive gun laws is experiencing uncontrolled violence and mayhem. How many more robberies do you think Jacksonville Dollar General Stores can expect in the near future? My guess is not many.

 Is Rahm's solution arming citizens so they protect themselves? Not exactly... "I'd like to remind everybody that it also requires a community to step up," Emanuel said Monday at an unrelated press conference. "You're not a snitch, you have a role in community policing."

 Yes devoted readers one of Obama's closest friends and former adviser's strategy is to rat out that gang-banger, dope-dealer, pimp that is shooting up your neighborhood. But don't you dare carry a concealed gun to protect yourself, or Chicago's finest will be coming after you.

Monday Musings With The Crew

• Penn State officials had Joe Paterno's stature removed from outside their football stadium over the weekend.  According to university president Rodney Erickson, the statue had "become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our University and beyond".  My advice to the Paterno apologists that are upset with Erickson's decision.....just turn your head and pretend it's not happening.

• A 14 year old boy used his father's handgun to protect himself and his 3 siblings from an armed intruder Friday afternoon at their Phoenix home.  The teenager and his young siblings were at home by themselves when a woman rang their doorbell.  Not recognizing the woman, the 14 year old refused to open the door.  When someone started bashing the door down shortly thereafter, the boy sent the other children upstairs, and retrieved the gun from his parent's bedroom.  An armed man broke through the door and aimed at the youngster.  The teen shot the intruder, wounding him critically.  I wonder what anti-gun crusader Michael Bloomberg thinks of this young man's heroic actions?  This incident is one more affirmation of my theory on armed criminals.....when a bad guy with a gun wants to commit crimes, generally the only thing that will deter him is a good guy with a gun.  

• New York schoolteacher Lissete Bamenga is facing 2 counts of first degree murder after "allegedly" killing her 2 young children by forcing them to drink windshield de-icing fluid.  Russian mother Galina Ryabkova "allegedly" murdered her two sons, ages 4 and 7, by throwing them off the 15th floor balcony of their Moscow apartment building recently.  Shall we ban multi-story buildings and windshield washer fluid?  The take-home message is that deranged, evil people will commit disturbing and evil crimes with whatever means they have available.  No law or statute will stop them, the best tool to defeat evil is a firearm in the hands of a law-abiding citizen. 

• The worst school-related mass murderer in United States history was Andrew Kehoe.  Kehoe killed 44 people at the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan.  He committed his atrocity on May 18.  The year was 1927.  His weapon.....multiple caches of dynamite that he had hidden in the school over the course of many months.  Evil is out there folks, and no governmental regulation is going to make it go away.  

Cinemark's No Gun Policy And The Aurora Shooting

In the wake of the Colorado theater shooting yesterday, there has been much analysis of motive, opportunity, pyschological make-up of the shooter, etc.  I will leave such topics to those more knowledgeable about them than I.  I'd like to talk about the Second Amendment, the value of concealed carry, and our inalienable right to self-defense.

The legal carry of concealed firearms is prohibited in Theater 9, as it is in all theaters operated by Cinemark.  It is known as a "gun-free zone".  I prefer the term "target-rich environment".   Cinemark has the absolute right to have this policy as a private business, but I believe that it may have cost some patrons their lives early Friday morning.  

There has been much discussion on a concealed carry forum that I frequent about this issue.  Some very knowledgeable and experienced folks there believe that even if 1 or more people in that theater had been legally carrying a firearm, stopping the shooter would have been a monumental task.  I agree.  His body armor, the darkness, smoke, and resulting chaos all combined to make for a very difficult defense scenario.  There was however, a short period of time when the shooter first entered the theater that most of the patrons believed it to be some sort of prank.  An armed and alert citizen with good situational awareness had the chance to confront the shooter and possibly avert disaster.  

Criminals are cowards, and James Holmes**  is no exception.  As meticulous as he apparently was in planning his crime, there's a reason he didn't go to an Aurora gun shop to commit multiple murder. As with all cowards, he took the path of least resistance, choosing a venue packed with people unable to defend themselves.  I believe that had an armed citizen returned fire on Mr. Holmes, his resolve would have evaporated like a drop of water in the Kansas City sun.  Lives would have been saved.  

** yeah, yeah, I know....allegedly**

Is it a sure thing that an armed citizen could have stopped the violence?  Of course not.  Maybe the chances would have been small, 10%, 20%, I don't know.  What I do know is that a theater full of unarmed people had 0% chance of protecting themselves and their loved ones.  12 dead and 58 wounded was the result.  

Remember, reports indicate that law enforcement arrived on the scene within 60-90 seconds.  They performed brilliantly, with courage and alacrity.  And still 12 people died.  If you are confronted with a violent criminal in your neighborhood today, do you think the police will arrive in 60 seconds?  If you do, I hope you have your affairs in order.  

Violence In Chicago To End On Saturday!

Let's say you are Joe Whiteywhacker, roaming the mean streets of Chicago on this beautiful Friday night in June.  You take a short break from felonious assault to drop in on your best girl Maria, only to find her in the sack with her nerdy boss.  Of course you are still carrying your work equipment, specifically a low-rent .38 revolver.  Two in the head for both Maria and Chad, and you're good to go.... right?  Wrong!  Now you gotta ditch your piece, can't get caught holding a murder weapon.

Good news Joe, all you have to do is turn your gat into the cops tomorrow!.  Not only will they take it from you no questions asked and destroy it, they will pay you $100 to boot!  Yes folks, once again it is time for Chicago's annual Murder Weapon Turn-In and Evidence Disposal Gala!

Saturday, June 23, Chicago police officers will be located at numerous churches throughout the city. They will take any and all weapons, no questions asked, and will be paying $100 per gun.  Just think, you can finally get rid of that old .22 that you killed the neighbor kid with, the 9MM you got from your mom's pimp when you turned 13, and even that beautiful vintage Colt you took off that old geezer when you bludgeoned him to death.

Heck, you get 4 or 5 of your thug buddies together, and you can come up with enough cash for something really cool like this.....
all courtesy of the Chicago Police Department.

Wait, it gets better.  Do you have any young goons in training in your home?  They can get $10 each for replica guns and BB guns at this year's event.  Now that really appeals to the capitalist in me.  Go down to every dollar store you can find, and clean them out of 99 cent cap guns.  Then.......Officer Friendly will gladly hand you $10 for each one of them.  Hey, where else in this economy can you make 900% profit overnight?  Besides carjacking I mean.

Of course this is all typically ludicrous liberal folderol.  There is NO, and I mean ZERO evidence that gun turn-in events have even the most microscopic benefit to society.  Why is Chicago such a violent and dangerous city?  Simple, it is a human shooting gallery.  Chicago in particular and Illinois in general are among the few places left in the U.S. where no citizen can legally carry a concealed firearm to defend themselves and their loved ones.  Joe and his buddies know this, and can feel free to cavort among the unarmed populace as violently as they wish.

If Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago PD were really serious about reducing violent crime in Chicago, they would hold a Gun Distribution Event.  Each tax-paying, law-abiding adult would receive a Glock 19, 2 magazines, and a voucher for 20 hours of training with an NRA instructor.  Then I might even feel safe enough to visit Chicago again.