Tragic Milestone Passed as Chicago Records 600th Homicide of 2016

CHICAGO – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today responded to reports that the city of Chicago recorded its 600th homicide of 2016.

There have been at least 3,475 people shot this year in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune, and the vast majority of Chicago homicides are committed with guns. As documented in a June report on urban gun violence by Everytown and the National Urban League, weak gun laws in nearby states are one of the factors contributing to the problem.

Three in five guns recovered at Chicago crime scenes were first sold in other states, according to a 2014 trace analysis by the city and the University of Chicago Crime Lab. The top out-of-state suppliers according to the analysis were Indiana, Mississippi and Wisconsin – none of which require a background check for every gun sale. Illinois is one of 18 states that go beyond federal law and require background checks on all handgun sales.

STATEMENT FROM PAMELA BOSLEY, A MEMBER OF THE EVERYTOWN SURVIVOR NETWORK, PART OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY, WHOSE 18-YEAR-OLD SON TERRELL WAS SHOT AND KILLED OUTSIDE THE LIGHTS OF ZION MISSIONARY BIBLE CHURCH IN APRIL 2006:

“My heart goes out to the hundreds of families who will never be whole again because of Chicago violence. I know this feeling all too well from when my son Terrell was ripped from my life as he was gunned down on the grounds of a church in Chicago ten years ago. It is a sad day in our city, and we have far too many of these events happening every day. In every corner of this city, Chicagoans are working to build a safer future for the next generation. We have to build on their work and we must do more to address the root causes of gun violence by investing in our schools, our economy and all people. It is also more important than ever to come together and demand an end to the senseless gun violence that takes innocent lives and do more to keep guns out of dangerous hands, including closing the loopholes in our country’s laws that are letting criminals flood our streets with guns bought out-of-state, with no background checks and no questions asked.”

Additional facts about gun violence in Chicago and 29 other large cities in the U.S., and case studies of antiviolence programs, are available in the 2016 report Strategies for Reducing Gun Violence in American Cities.