Last week, students at Cary-Grove High School in Illinois heard two gunshots in the school hallway. The gun was loaded with blanks. It was a drill to teach those suburban students to recognize the sound of live gunfire.
For many who live in urban Chicago, that sound is all too recognizable. At a Senate hearing on gun violence last week, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) pointed out that Chicago is "awash in guns," despite having some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
The local nightly news is a grim reminder of that statement for those of us who live in the city. More than 500 people died because of gun violence in Chicago last year. This year, the toll is already at 40.
The deaths only tell part of the story. Far too unreported are the thousands upon thousands of violent crimes committed with guns. My own mother and father were held at gunpoint during a robbery several years ago. I hear gunfire periodically from my apartment, and I live on the north side of Chicago in a working-class neighborhood. Yes, the city is awash in guns, and yes, the solution to this epidemic of violence needs to be a holistic one focusing on education, jobs, and poverty. But at the very least, comprehensive, federal gun control can help triage the situation.
Learn more about Chicago's gun violence below the fold ...
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