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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal
Kankakee, Illinois
July 6, 2008
Kudos Supreme
Court; next stop: Chicago |
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By a 5-4 decision, the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled that Washington D.C. could no longer punish its
law-abiding residents by denying them the right to own handguns.
The decision means the city must end its 32-year old ineffective and
selective gun ban.
Not being a gun enthusiast, it was interesting to learn that
the city with the country’s highest crime rate had the oldest gun
ban law. The city with no federal representation became a city
without the Second Amendment right. Since 1976, Washington D.C.
residents have been denied the right to own handguns. Ironically,
in direct correlation to the law, the city’s homicide rate has
increased. During the 1990s, the city was known as the murder
capital of the world.
In the wake of this decision, other cities across the country
are gearing up for their own court battles. In particular, closer
to home, Chicago and a few of its suburbs have similar
unconstitutional gun ban laws. Like Washington D.C., Chicago is a
top rated city for gun related homicides. Chicago’s gun ban is
26-years old.
True to form, the loudest Chicago critics of the court’s ruling
were the mayor of Chicago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Father
Michael Pfleger. The three pointed out the city’s high rate of gun
related incidents as a need to impose the ban. However, they failed
to point out that the city’s gun crimes are committed by criminals
and not the law-abiding residents.
Jackson and Pfleger have pledged to continue their fight
against those they hold responsible for Chicago’s rampant gun
deaths. Normal reasoning would suggest the dastardly duo would be
conducting gang patrols or helping the police identify thugs. Oh,
but no. This dumb and dumber duo will be attacking legal gun shop
owners.
For once it would be nice if these two would be honest and
sincere with their common constituency. Both speak to a primarily
black population. Ok, they speak publicly to all, but it’s the poor
and black who subscribe to their gibberish. Most of the deaths by
guns occur in the neighborhoods they speak to and for.
Again, it would be wonderful to hear them tell their followers
the truth such as: The Chicago gun ban isn’t working because it is
not the gun shop owners who are killing their family and friends and
neighbors. The police are not killing your kids. Residents who
want to own guns for the protection of their homes and family are
not the problem. Gun collectors or sportsmen are not the problem.
The deaths of almost 30 school children in less than a year are not
the result of some government plot. Actually, innocent people in
Chicago are being killed with guns by your own family, friends, and
neighbors. The harboring and protecting of illegal gun-toting thugs
in your homes and neighborhoods are the reasons so many Chicagoans
are being killed. Stop marching in the streets when you are angry
and start marching to the authorities with valid information about
crimes you witness.
The deflecting of the neighborhood’s responsibility for the
city’s Southside climbing gun deaths towards the government or other
legal entities by Jackson and Pfleger is wrong and makes them
complicit.
While Chicago continues its efforts to win the 2016 Olympics,
it is still losing the battle against gun violence. Of course,
should Chicago win, the billions it plans to spend on the proposed
new Olympic village won’t be in the neighborhoods where gun crimes
are occurring.
Hopefully by 2016 the Supreme Court will have found that
Chicago’s gun ban is unconstitutional. In addition to demonstrating
our athletic prowess, we can show the world that our democratic
government applies our laws to all its citizens. Until then, I
think our highest court deserves a gold medal for this recent
decision. |
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