In their coverage of gun violence in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend, conservative media outlets advanced their longstanding narrative that Chicago's strict gun laws are not effective. But that view ignores what's happening in cities that have weak gun laws and astronomical rates of gun violence like New Orleans, as well as cities with strong gun laws and low rates of violence, like New York City.
"Intense Stretch Of Gun Violence" In Chicago Over Fourth Of July Weekend
Chicago Tribune: 10 Killed And 55 Wounded By Gunfire In Chicago Over Holiday Weekend. The Tribune reported that while there were fewer incidents of gun violence this Fourth of July holiday weekend over last year's, dozens of shootings still took place:
Shootings over the Fourth of July weekend left 10 people dead and 55 others wounded, a toll lower than last year but one marked by an intense stretch of gun violence over eight hours on one of the nights.Among those killed was 7-year-old Amari Brown, shot in the chest as he watched fireworks near his father's home in Humboldt Park late Saturday night. Police say they believe the attack was aimed at the father, whom they described as a ranking gang member. [Chicago Tribune, 7/6/15]
Conservative Media Use Violence To Question Chicago's Strong Gun Laws
Fox News Host Steve Doocy Suggests "Liberal Policies" Are "Actually Killing Americans" In Chicago.On July 7, Steve Doocy first suggested that Chicago's "liberal policies" were responsible for the weekend crime wave and then claimed Chicago's gun laws "are not enforced":
DOOCY: Cold-blooded violence sweeping through cities all across the country. First, in the city of Chicago, which has a Democratic mayor: 10 people killed and 55 more wounded this Fourth of July weekend alone. Oh my goodness. And in San Francisco, where the city's failure to deport a known criminal led to the murder of a 32-year-old, Kathryn Steinle. So are these cities, their liberal policies, actually killing Americans? Some have suggested that.[...]JEHMU GREENE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: To point the finger and play the blame game and say, "Are liberal policies killing people in Chicago or in San Francisco, for that matter?" is, I think, just not up to what this conversation should be about. Who is actually killing people? Well, some could point to guns and a lack of any sort of gun prevention violence program for us to be able to embrace as a country.DOOCY: Jehmu, in the city of Chicago, Jehmu, the city of Chicago ... has some of the strongest gun violence laws on the books, but they are not enforced. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/7/15]
Fox News' Special Report Uses Chicago Violence To Question Effectiveness Of City's Gun Laws. Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier said July 6 that violence in Chicago over the holiday weekend indicates "how gun control efforts by the president and others may have had little effect there":
BAIER: Holiday weekend carnage has left at least 10 people dead in Chicago, the city President Obama calls home. Tonight, correspondent Kevin Corke looks at how gun control efforts by the president and others may have had little effect there.[...]CORKE: [Gun violence victim] Amari [Brown] was an innocent bystander. But his death is symptomatic of a city awash in gun violence. Sixty-five people in Chicago shot over the holiday weekend, 10 fatally. Just last year, same holiday weekend, 82 hit by gunfire, more than a dozen, 16, died. All this despite the fact that Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. [Fox News, Special Report, 7/6/15]
Fox's Shannon Bream Incredulous That Response To Chicago Violence Could Lead To Crackdown On Easy Gun Access. From the July 6 broadcast of Fox News' The Kelly File:
BREAM: I think we'd argue that we want all of these young men's lives to be protected and to have a chance ... and for things to be fair and lawful. I mean, that's the most important thing here, enforcing that. But what I heard from the White House today when this came up with Josh Earnest was essentially going down this trail of, well we need tougher gun laws, and anybody who follows Second Amendment debates knows Chicago has the toughest gun laws in the country. [Fox News, The Kelly File, 7/6/15]
Breitbart.com: 2014 Fourth Of July Violence "A Sad Reminder Of The Failure Of Gun Control Policies."[Breitbart.com, 7/5/15]
Conservative Media Use Chicago To Indict Gun Safety Proposals While Ignoring More Violent Cities With Weak Gun Laws
Parents Against Gun Violence: "Chicago, Illinois Is Not Even Close To Being The Most Dangerous City In The U.S." Using data from the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control, Parents Against Gun Violence determined that Chicago does not lead the nation in murder, even using several different metrics for comparison:
In Fact, The Three Most Dangerous Cities "Are All Prohibited By State Law From Enacting ANY New Gun Ordinances." Parents Against Gun Violence found that Detroit, New Orleans, and St. Louis are all subject to preemption laws, a type of National Rifle Association-backed law that limits the ability of city authorities to regulate firearms beyond what is contained within state law.
Read more - see more charts...
http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/07/07/conservative-media-link-chicagos-crime-wave-to/204285
No comments:
Post a Comment