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To the Editor:
In the March 24 Daily Chronicle, the Illinois Roundup section noted that 10 people had been shot in Chicago over the weekend, one of whom died.
In the March 26 edition of our Daily Chronicle, there appeared a letter to the editor from a former trauma nurse who worked for the Cook County Trauma Center. In summary, she related that she had cared for hundreds of gunshot patients monthly.
Her main point was, “Here in Illinois, it is imperative we defend our successful gun safety measures like the FOID card …”. Successful gun safety measures like the FOID card law? For those of our citizens who are unfamiliar with the FOID card, it is a card (a lot like your drivers’ license, but you must be at least 18 years of age) that permits a holder to purchase ammunition and to initiate the purchase of a firearm in Illinois.
The typical shooting in Chicago is committed by a young man in his teens or early 20s related to drugs and gang affiliation. Per the often-published statistics of the Chicago Police Department, it is likely that none of the perpetrators of these shootings had a FOID card. In addition, the guns were purchased on the street or stolen; therefore, a FOID card was not a barrier to these criminals obtaining the weapons.
So, these gangbangers were not deterred by the statewide order to stay indoors, nor were they deterred in obtaining weapons without FOID cards, nor were they deterred by the laws or moral values which require people to not do harm (murder) to others (refer to the Fifth Commandment or to the Golden Rule).
My point is that “common-sense gun laws” do nothing to reduce the typical shooting crimes in Chicago or in the United States. Criminals don’t obey the laws. If you are in favor of reducing gun violence then the solution is clear: track down, arrest, convict and jail these outlaws for the maximum amount of time allowed under our laws.
The data is in. Criminals commit crimes. Remove the criminals from our midst and we will have a much more peaceful society resulting in thousands of lives saved each year.
Lon Clark
DeKalb