U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office, along with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officials, announced on Wednesday their continuing campaign to target illegal straw purchases — legal firearm buyers supplying guns to those who can’t pass background checks.
Meanwhile, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for help from President Joe Biden’s administration to close gun loopholes — again. She also announced a plan for the summer to focus on 15 areas of the city with the most violence for an all-hands-on-deck prevention effort.
And legislators in Springfield have passed numerous laws increasing penalties for those caught illegally carrying guns. They approved a massive crackdown on gun dealers that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law in 2019.
Has it worked as promised to improve safety or save lives? No.
Chicago this week is proof of the mayhem that continues to unfold: two mass shootings in Englewood and Garfield Park, four dead, 13 shot. Early Saturday, nine injured, one killed in Chatham. In May, five shot, two killed in Gresham. In March, 15 people shot, two fatally, at a Park Manor pop-up party.
Can police do more to respond to calls about large gatherings? Yes.
Can aldermen do more to crack down on unruly parties? Yes.
Will the ongoing campaign to reduce illegal straw purchasing make a difference? Maybe. It’s worth the effort. The push during the next month called “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” will remind those tempted to buy weapons and hand them off that the penalty is up to 10 years in jail or up to $250,000 in fines.
Legal firearm purchases require background checks and full compliance with local and state laws. For those who know they can’t pass those bench marks, they often rely on a “straw purchase” from someone else. It’s a felony.
But little will change the trajectory of crime in Chicago until the perpetrators of violence are apprehended and stopped. The “benefit of the doubt” factor overwhelming our judicial and prosecutorial systems is failing us. We are less safe in Chicago because of it and especially in neighborhoods where accused offenders return while on bond or electronic monitoring, awaiting adjudication of their cases.
That is not news. The Tribune and others have been reporting consistently on the failures of electronic monitoring.
Just one example from this horrific week in Chicago: “Man charged in shooting was free on gun charge,” in Wednesday’s print Tribune. Marvin Flanagan, who already had a long rap sheet, was free on bond on a weapons charge when police allege he killed a man in December in Humboldt Park. Now he’s in custody. But he wasn’t when he is suspected of shooting and killing Miguel Perez outside his home.
Both Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown criticized State’s Attorney Kim Foxx this week for her suggestion that cops are unnecessarily arresting people in illegal possession of guns.
“Obviously, common sense is not so common,” Brown said during a news conference. “We should all know that illegal gun possession makes us less safe, not more safe. And I would argue the idea of decriminalizing illegal gun possession is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in my 40 years of law enforcement.”
So who will defend the law-abiding residents trapped in their homes, and scared, due to gun violence in their streets? Where are those elected officials?
In New York City as the mayoral primary approaches June 22, polls show crime and quality of life are top issues for voters there. In the city where crime reduction became the subject of international study, murders are up 17% over 2020. Shootings have increased 77% this year over last. It’s painfully familiar.
To Foxx, Chief Judge Timothy Evans, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and other elected officials who support criminal justice reform efforts that move toward decriminalization, more bond and electronic monitoring, it’s beyond time to recalibrate. Lives are at stake.
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