The outrage from the Dayton and El Paso shootings has been daunting to say the least.
When emotions run high, rational thought is often ignored. Given the anti-gun media’s hysteria and willingness to race bait, we would be under the impression that only deranged white kids are the ones committing gun-related acts of violence.
However, gun violence is not exclusive to white America.
Journalist Zaid Jilani noted that there were two mass shootings on Saturday night in Chicago.
He highlights how gun violence in the Windy City “has become so normalized it doesn’t even make national news.”
There were two mass shootings overnight in Chicago, parts of which violence has become so normalized it doesn't even make national news https://t.co/xngotPSHBd
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) August 4, 2019
CBS Chicago, reported that three people were killed and 40 were wounded during shootings this past weekend in Chicago.
Four shootings occurred on August 2, 12 shootings on August 3, and five shootings on August 4.
CBS also reported that “two mass shootings overnight in Chicago — both in the West Side’s Lawndale neighborhood.”
The state of Illinois has stringent gun controls which includes red flag gun confiscation laws. Despite having these laws present, shootings are still a common occurrence.
However, GOP elected officials like Congressman Dan Crenshaw and Senator Lindsey Graham don’t seem to care, now that they are calling for “red flag” style measures.
Pro-gun researcher John Lott has proven that red flag laws are ineffective against criminals.
When analyzing data from 1970 through 2017, Lott found that “Red Flag laws appear to have had no significant effect on murder, suicide, the number of people killed in mass public shootings, robbery, aggravated assault or burglary. There is some evidence that rape rates rise. These laws apparently do not save lives.”
Similarly, Connecticut signed a red flag bill into law in 1999, making it one of the first states to do. But this law could do nothing to keep Adam Lanza from carrying out his atrocity at Sandy Hook.
In sum, there are likely much bigger factors behind mass shootings than whatever gun laws are on the books.
