Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames Chicago's violence on "states with virtually no gun control," says "no" to federal troops

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said rising gun violence in Chicago is occurring because the Windy City is "being inundated with guns" from outside states.

Through the first half of 2020, Chicago matched the homicide pace of 2016 – the city's most violent year in nearly 20 years. There were 329 homicides in Chicago from January to June, an increase of 34% from 2019. According to the Chicago Police Department, there were 1,384 shootings in the first half of the year, an increase of 42% from 2019. In June alone, there were 562 shooting victims, an 85% increase over last year's totals for the same month.

"Sixty-three people were shot in the city this past weekend, and at least twelve people were killed," the White House said in a statement last Wednesday. "Over the Fourth of July weekend, nearly 80 people were shot, and 17 were killed. Over Father's Day weekend, 104 people were shot, and 15 were killed, including 5 young children. And the last weekend in May saw the city's deadliest day on record: 18 murders in 24 hours."

-READ MORE