Image via Chicago Police Twitter.
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While the nation reacted with shock to a triple homicide in Rockford, Illinois, the Windy City kept up its grim march to 800 homicides in 2020. Not to be outdone by an amateur killing three and wounding three more, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s criminal element (and one card-carrying good guy) racked up 11 dead and 20 maimed this past weekend. Bet you didn’t see that on the CBS Evening News.

Chicago’s 786 homicides, per HeyJackass.com, for 2020 scores higher than the total number of homicides for 46 entire states for last year. That’s right: one city in America has more homicides than 46 other states did in all of 2019.

One would think with all the gun control imposed upon Illinois residents, the Land of Lincoln would be a model state for crime-free utopia. After all, Illinois residents wishing to even touch a gun must have a Firearms Owners ID card. New applications for FOID cards are taking months to process.

Illinois Firearm Owner Identification card backlogs continue to mount, bringing the average wait time for a FOID card to 121 days with more than 145,000 pending applications.

State officials blamed a number of factors for the delays, including the increase in applications.

According to FBI.gov statistics on NICS firearm checks, so far this calendar year Illinois had 6.6 million checks. Only Kentucky comes close with 2.9 million checks. Those numbers do not indicate the numbers of firearms sold, just the number of checks initiated.

Illinois State Police said Wednesday the average wait times are 121 days for FOID cards and there are nearly 145,000 pending applications as of this week. There are around 27,000 concealed carry license applications pending.

Illinois also has a three-day waiting period for firearm transfers. Gun dealers have faced high fees and burdensome regulations under the new Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act that has put half of Illinois gun dealers in the state out of business.

The reality is, gun control disarms victims, not criminals. But that fact seems to escape the Democrats who run Chicago and the state of Illinois. Or maybe it hasn’t escaped them at all.

Thankfully, one of the tallies in the weekend’s body count resulted from a righteous use of force against a violent offender.  From the Chicago Sun-Times.

A man was shot and killed while trying to commit a robbery Saturday on the West Side, police said.

He walked in to a store about 6:50 p.m. in the 3200 block of West Chicago Avenue, pulled out a gun and demanded property, according to Chicago police.

A store employee, a 29-year-old man, pulled out his own gun and fired shots at the robber, striking him in the chest, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as Marc Rodgers, 48, of Chicago.

The 29-year-old has a valid concealed-carry license, police said. Officers recovered his gun as well as the other man’s gun.

Chicago could use more good guys with guns like the 29-year-old employee at the cellular store. Sadly, after generations of strict gun control, Chicago still has a paucity of legally armed residents.

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57 COMMENTS

    • Evidence. Even in a righteous self-defense shooting your firearm is seized as evidence.

      When I was a sworn officer, if I were involved in an OIS*, my service firearm was immediately taken into evidence and I was issued another within hours. Pending the results of the investigation I would get my original back…eventually.

      Here’s hoping that the 29 yo will get his pistol back…someday, before he is too old or feeble to pull the trigger.

      *Officer Involved Shooting

        • Agreed. Non-Leo’s are on their own…just as I am as a retiree. Another justification for EDC’ing an easily replaceable firearm in the case you have to defend yourself.

      • Evidence of what? If it was a justifiable shooting in self defense, and the shooter was properly licensed, no crime was committed. Alternately, of the clerk says, “he pulled out a gun and demanded money, so I pulled my gun and shot him,” the gun is evidence of what exactly? You have an admission by the shooter that he used a firearm and shot the other guy. The gun proves NADA. You do not have to “connect the dots” between the firearm used and the shooter to prove that the shooter was the shooter. You already know that.

      • Low cost gun with few off the shelf modifications. And nothing that will upset a lawyer or judge when it comes to trial.

        • Yes Sir. An off the shelf Sig P365 loaded with HST’s or Critical Duty (I carry the loads approved by my local Agencies for their Officers). I don’t carry “fad” ammunition or ammo with names that a jury could find scary or offensive…just in case.

          How’s your down-under Summer coming along? Our Montana Winter hasn’t really kicked into gear yet.

  1. “Chicago’s 786 homicides, per HeyJackass.com, for 2020 scores higher than the total number of homicides for 46 entire states for last year. That’s right: one city in America has more homicides than 46 other states did in all of 2019.”

    Can it be argued that this is a cultural issue?

    And to criticize is wrong? 😉

    • There are several cultural issues. First is the Dem political machine culture of corruption that doesn’t take criminals off the streets and prevents law abiding citizens from protecting themselves.
      Next is the cultural idea that we can prevent sin by restricting the opportunity to sin instead of treating people as free citizens and allowing them to put whatever substances in their bodies, despite how stupid and dangerous it is. This drug prohibition has failed miserably and gives profit motive to the gangs.
      Which brings us to the culture of acceptance and even celebration of the gang lifestyle. These are the people responsible for almost all of the murders. The idea that “disrespect” is a capital crime leads to innocents getting killed and gang wars that extend beyond the profit motive. Achievers are looked down upon.
      Which brings us full circle to the Dems soft racism of lowered expectations because of past injustices. Disadvantaged minorities can be just as intelligent and hard working as any other race. Instead of fixing deficiencies, a lower standard is applied. Too many minorities are in jail, so let the commit crimes against their neighbors instead of punishing the criminals and ending the gangs. Give them the necessities for survival with no conditions instead of giving them incentive to achieve, which also gets passed down to progeny. Instead of giving them education on par with others, lower only their standards for higher education and employment and wonder why they fail to thrive against the peers. It’s like playing checkers against a kid and spotting them a few pieces instead of teaching them the strategies and tactics of the game — it looks like you’ve given them an advantage, but you’re going to win in the end.

      • “Which brings us full circle to the Dems soft racism of lowered expectations because of past injustices.”

        And *that*, is an inconvenient truth…

    • Geoff PR,

      I came to proclaim the same sentiment. There is a sickness in the soul of many of the people of Chicago which is to blame for the murder and mayhem that occurs there.

      Firearms are merely a distraction from the real problem.

  2. 786 ain’t bad except they produce more new thugs each year than that even with abortion slowing the overall rate. Since the innocent victims hold no more value than the dead criminals in the eyes of those in Control. The important number is the Sum gain.

  3. “One would think with all the gun control imposed upon Illinois residents, the Land of Lincoln would be a model state for crime-free utopia. After all, Illinois residents wishing to even touch a gun must have a Firearms Owners ID card. New applications for FOID cards are taking months to process.”

    This only applies to honest law abiding people. Criminals do not obey laws.

  4. RE: “The reality is, gun control disarms victims, not criminals.”

    Duh…The whole point of Gun Control is about disarming victims…Plantation Slaves, Jim Crow Blacks and Holocaust Jews can confirm it.

  5. Is “Beetlejuice” still blaming us gun nuts for sending all those illegal guns to Chiraq? Or is it Trump’s fault!?

  6. I’m not convinced that the Rockford bowling alley shootings were not a justifiable, defensive gun use. The idea of a mass shooter hanging around for the cops then surrending just doesn’t fit the normal paradigm.

    • A green Beret shooting up a local bowling alley and killing a couple of senior citizens and a couple of unarmed teenagers doesn’t fit the normal paradigm either.

    • Nah I think the record is near 1000. With a 70’s higher population. Coincidently I went there and it didn’t SEEM bad. Less 15year olds murderers!

  7. Just found good quality 38special cheap enuf in Gary,IN. Yep Gary. Downtown at Jack’s Loan office on Broadway. I sold him a Hi Point about 7 years ago. He has some wonderful gats for sale including a Colt Python,Sig Legion and a mint (with bayonet!) Inland M1 carbine dated 1944. Um I avoid Chiraq…Gary was a ghost town.

  8. The triple tragedy in Rockford perpetrated by a deranged individual is indeed a distraction, and not just from Chicago’s problems.

    The gang-infested cesspool known as Rockford (population ~150,000) has had 36 homicides this year so far, nearly double last year’s number of 19. It has been the most violent year in the city’s history by far, even before Sunday’s triple murder was added to the grim statistics.

  9. 11 dead, 20 wounded on Christmas weekend in Chicago? Depending on who the victims are, this shows that Santa might be real after all.

  10. What happened to the story about a ruling that purchase for resale wasn’t a straw purchase? Was that a fake story? If so, why not keep up a retraction to know not to rely on it?

      • Not sure what that is on the rail underneath it – laser? light? Mantis? That’s not a thug gun – that was somebody’s baby that got stolen by a thug.

        • It’s a laser. ADE Advanced Optics HG54.

          http://adeadvancedoptics.com/

          The photo credit lists Chicago police twitter. So browsing though it, I eventually came across the post and it contains a much higher resolution picture. A quick search on the labeling thus revealed the company.

          On a side note, I noticed the Chicago police twitter does provided some humor/amazement in the firearms they post. There’s a ton of…economical?…handguns but then when one sees something like the Ruger-57 shown above or a FN 509 compact, it does give the appearance that some individuals have a slightly upgraded taste in firearms.

        • Cool. I think they need to adapt those poor orphan guns out to loving homes that will nurture, feed and protect them.

        • Oh, I agree 100% they need an “Adopt an Orphan Gun” program! The one post shows a Glock 19 with a WISH-supplied ‘giggle’ backplate. Another post shows a USFA ZiP .22lr in spectacular FDE color. Those definitely need caring homes! Maybe not my home but the homes of people I’m good friends with…

    • Saw that myself … Didn’t think there were enough of them out there for one to turn up like this, this soon.

  11. Another city that empties the jails creates more crime so as to cry for more gun restrictions on the lawful! Look up what hitler did for gun control! It’s the same scenario at a different time! If you think the 7 million new gun owners have figured it out, the 30 million current gun owners that also bought more this year are way ahead of them! It’s the ammo that’s getting harder to find!

  12. … one city in America has more homicides than 46 other states did in all of 2019.

    That statement is almost certainly unintentionally misleading.

    What I understood in my mind when I read that statement is that the combined grand total of all murders in 46 states was less than the 786 murders in Chicago alone. In other words the average murder rate in 46 states had to be less than 786 / 46 = 17.09 per state which we know is not true.

    Perhaps it is clearer to say that 46 states had individual murder tallies in 2020 that was lower than Chicago.

    It is also important to note that Chicago’s population alone is greater than the total population of many entire states. Thus, it would not come as a surprise that Chicago would have more more murders than states with less populations simply because Chicago has more people than those states.

    • Yep! It’s prudent to avoid playing those statistical games the leftist-media routinely pukes out for effect. The temptation to massage the numbers to give an impression is not worth the loss of credibility, which always leaves a more lasting impression.

  13. Shocking, all those murders and from where I live, nothing. Just living my life with no concern about all the deaths and crime in Chicago. Why? Simple, I would never live around they type of animals that procreate in these cease pools. Could really care less. I hope they all kill each other, not one F*** given. .

  14. I’m appreciative of the fact these firearms all had HP’s in the mags (within reason for the 5.7, those 27’s can be a bit hard to come by for a Chicagoan)

  15. I’m surprised the first comment wasnt in relation to “guess who carried what”… A 57 and a pos taurus “bought” from another gangbanger LOCALLY in chi-raq… NOT out of state.

    Lastly, fuck you beetlejuice. You deserve to be tar and feathered.

  16. It is a constant source of amazement to notice it most on TTAG have difficulty grasping the difference between total number and per capita.

    The facts shows that Chicago is relatively low on the list for murders per person, there are many other cities that are much more dangerous.
    But of course, I understand your need to vilify Chicago because you view it as Obamas Hometown.

    Reality:

    Rate of homicides in U.S. cities with populations greater than 250,000 in 2019 (per 100,000 residents)*

    Number of murders per 100,000 residents

    Baltimore, MD 58.27
    Detroit, MI 41.45
    New Orleans, LA 30.67
    Memphis, TN 29.21
    Cleveland, OH 24.09
    Washington, D.C. 23.52
    Cincinnati, OH 21.1
    Buffalo, NY 18.38
    Oakland, CA 17.97
    Milwaukee, WA 16.41
    Albuquerque, NM 14.95
    Greensboro, NC 14.43
    Jacksonville, FL 14.19
    Louisville, KY 13.92
    Tulsa, OK 13.69
    Durham, NC 13.2
    Toledo, OH 12.43
    Nashville, TN 12.08
    Oklahoma City, OIK 11.4
    Anchorage, AK 11.12
    Stockton, CA 10.84
    Minneapolis, MN 10.67
    Fort Wayne, IN 9.65
    Corpus Christi, TX 9.41
    St. Paul, MN 9.02
    Wichita, KS 8.97
    Miami, FL 8.95
    Columbus, OH 8.94
    Bakersfield, CA 8.76
    Orlando, FL 8.56
    Lexington, KY 7.97
    Phoenix, AZ 7.76
    Tampa, FL 7.74
    Tucson, AZ 7.29
    Long Beach, CA 7.27
    San Antonio, TX 6.73
    Virginia Beach, VA 6.68
    Sacramento, CA 6.62
    Los Angeles, CA 6.43
    St. Petersburg, FL 6.35
    Boston, MA 6.01
    El Paso, TX 5.82
    Riverside, CA 5.1
    Las Vegas, NV 5.04
    Omaha, NE 4.89
    Colorado Springsm CO 4.8
    Reno, NV 4.72
    San Francisco, CA 4.51
    Portland, OR 4.38
    Santa Ana, CA 3.9
    Lubbock, TX 3.86
    San Diego, CA 3.47
    Austin, TX 3.25
    San Jose, CA 3.08
    Henderson, NV 2.83
    Anaheim, CA 2.26
    Mesa, AZ 2.12
    Lincoln, NE 1.72
    Chandler, AZ 1.54
    Madison, WI 1.53
    Laredo, TX 1.51
    Scottsdale, AZ 1.15
    Chula Vista, CA 1.09

    Chicago’s murder rate is a middle of the pack 15.65 per 100,000.

    • Hey Miner49er,

      Could you tell me why I need to vilify Chicago? I’ll let you know when you’re getting warm. This should be a fun exercise!

    • It is a constant source of amazement to notice that most gun control advocates ignore per capita deaths from so-called assault rifles, rifles in general, homicides vs. suicides, “mass shootings” and the list goes on. Why? Because per capita gun deaths via the scary guns show just how rare such events are relative to other causes of death.

      For example, you are almost three times as likely to die from an unintentional fall than you are from a firearm homicide – 12 deaths per 100,000 versus 4.4 deaths per 100,000 respectively.

      Of all firearm homicides in the United States (4.4 per 100,000 – latest figures for 2019), handguns constituted the majority at 64%, which is roughly 2.9 deaths per 100,000. Rifles were used in 4% (includes “assault-style weapons”), which is roughly 0.18 deaths per 100,000. Shotguns were used in 2%. And the remaining 30% were classified as “other guns or type not stated.”

      And where do the Left-wingers focus their gun control attention? On so-called “assault rifles” that make up only a tiny fraction of those deaths involving rifles – Note: the overall death rate for ALL rifle-related deaths is so low that it’s less than 1/5th of 1 per 100,000 (see above). The use of assault-style weapons is even lower, much lower than that.

      So when you consider the events that precipitate this hysteria (mass shootings rather than Chicago style shootings), the per capita rates are so low that they become statistically meaningless.

      Here is the death rate for mass shootings in 2019, which the MSM reported as the highest since 1970, a whopping 0.065 per 100,000. And again, the number of deaths using assault-style weapons in the 2019 mass shootings is even lower…way lower because the vast majority of those shootings were done by handguns.

      So who has “difficulty grasping the difference between total number and per capita”?

  17. If those were the two guns used in the self-defense shooting in Chicago’s west side, I vote that the criminal had the Taurus G2 which is a $300 gun now at bass pro, and the defender had the Ruger 57 which is a $600 gun at bass pro.
    Add another $100 or so for a rail mounted laser on the Ruger.
    That is a pretty brave clerk who drew his gun when the criminal already had his gun out.
    Drawing on someone who already has the drop on you is a very iffy proposition.
    You have to wait till the criminal is momentarily distracted, then draw and shoot.
    Is the 5 7 caliber a good self defense round?
    Worked in this case, I thought it was meant for armor piercing and they don’t sell those rounds commercially.

  18. The facts show that Chicago is relatively low on the list for murders per person, there are many other cities that are much more dangerous. The temptation to massage the numbers to give an impression is not worth the loss of credibility, which always leaves a more lasting impression. This the season to wish one another joy and love and peace. These are my wishes for you, Merry Christmas our dear friends, may you feel the love this special day.

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