Gun violence and subsequently gun control without fail become topics of national debate every time (a saddening qualifier) a mass shooting happens. In his last State of the Union address Barack Obama listed gun violence as one of his ongoing priorities saying we need to protect children. But what about daily gun violence in places such as Chicago, which saw almost 3,000 people shot last year, Obama's adopted hometown? Chicago regularly makes headlines for gun violence, earning itself the Chi-Raq nickname that would go on to be the center of Spike Lee's film of the same name. That hasn't changed in the first 10 days of 2016 as more than 100 people have been shot in Chicago.
The Chicago Tribunereports the heartbreaking news adding that 19 people were shot and killed over the first weekend of 2016. During the same time frame last year shootings left 31 people injured and nine dead. Increased gun violence has caused Chicagoans to call for the resignation of Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. According to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi gun violence is largely a result of gang violence. Guglielmi said in a statement: "So far this year, the majority of the gun violence we've seen are a result of chronic gang conflicts driven in part by social media commentary and petty disputes among rival factions. Every year Chicago Police recover more illegal guns than officers in any other city, and as more and more illegal guns continue to find their way into our neighborhoods it is clear we need stronger state and federal gun laws."
But as the New York Daily Newspoints out gun violence is not limited to gang warfare, but also includes frequent instances of police brutality. Two people gunned down by Chicago police were 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, almost shot as many times as his age (16) and 55-year-old Bettie Jones a mother of five.
