No Right to Bear Arms . . . Blood-Soaked Streets

By Louis J Beradi


Illinois stands alone in two categories: the city with the most blood-soaked streets and the only state that denies the right to keep and bear arms.

I would like to point out the obvious fact that Chicago has some of the most restrictive firearms laws in the country, yet criminals, for some reason, do not seem to obey those laws. Criminals by definition do not obey laws.
The letter writer takes the position that because criminals commit crimes with firearms, Illinois is justified in denying law-abiding citizens their Second Amendment rights. Let me extend his logic to other rights. Because some people abuse their First Amendment right of free speech by practicing hate speech, we are justified in prohibiting him from ever writing another letter to the editor and he must close down his blog forever.
Law-abiding Americans should never be denied basic constitutional rights because criminals abuse those rights.

The letter writer points out that Illinois stands alone in denying its citizens the basic human right of self-defense because otherwise we would have blood-soaked streets. Let me point out two truths: 1. Every state that passed right-to-carry legislation, despite predictions to the contrary, saw violent crime either go down or remain the same. 2. Every Monday morning, the Tribune tells us that the streets are already soaked with blood and it is only getting worse.

The Chicago anti-gun policies have proven to be a deadly failure and it is time to join the other 49 states in the 21st century.

Letter to the Editor - Chicago Tribune