We wrote about Florida having the lowest level of firearm violent crime in that state’s history not even two weeks ago:
Florida enjoys high levels of gun ownership, and nearly 8.2% of that state’s population of 19.89 million have some form of concealed carry license.
The Sunshine State simultaneously enjoys that state’s lowest recorded level of firearm violent crime. Ever.
What else does Florida have besides great beaches, lots of sunshine, and lots of good guys carrying guns?
It has a 10-20-Life law when it comes to using a firearm in the commission of a crime. In a nutshell, this law imposes additional time in prison for those who use a firearm in commission of a crime.
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If you produce a firearm in the commission of a felony crime, you get an extra 10-years in prison, minimum.
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If you fire your firearm, you get 20-years in prison, minimum, on top of the sentence for whatever felony you were committing.
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If you wound or kill someone with a firearm, the minimum sentence is 25-years in prison and the judge may impose Life in prison.
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It also has a lesser known provision that felons merely possessing a firearm get an automatic three years in prison, no ifs, ands or buts.
Compared to Florida, Illinois has a relative paucity of concealed carry license holders, beaches, warm sunshine (at least for three months of the year) and no 10-20-Life law.
We do have prosecutors and judges who take a very easy-going approach to charging and sentencing violent criminal actors and we have, particularly in Chicagoland, high levels of firearms violent crime.
Here’s yet another example:
A woman in Chicago is in an argument after coming from a nightclub. She pulls out her pistol and starts shooting at one or more people who she feels has “disrespected” her.
Here’s a video of what happened (NSFW with ghetto language.)
She’s identified, arrested and guess what? She’s charged with a misdemeanor.
If she had done that in Florida, under the 10-20-Life law, she would be looking at 20 years in prison, minimum. Add in the charges for actually shooting at someone and she’s out of circulation for a generation, protecting the good people of Florida from a repeat of her piss poor decision making. In Illinois, it’s unlikely she’ll be out of circulation, much less prison.
Illinois doesn’t have a gun problem.
Illinois has a criminal justice problem.
Until and unless we get serious about putting violent predators and monsters misusing unlawfully possessed firearms away in prison for a very long time, we will not see Florida’s record low rates of firearm-related violent crime.
This was proven in the 1990s in NYC. The murder rate dropped from 14.5 per 100,000 to 4 per 100,000 not through gun control, but through criminal control.
I’m not disagreeing with your basic premise.
However, just like the “evil auntie” who “sued her 12-year old nephew,” there’s usually MORE TO THE STORY.
The auntie sued AN EVIL INSURANCE COMPANY which refused to pay out in good faith. The nephew was sued “nominally” or, “in name only.” Why? Because he HAD TO BE. That’s the stupidity of the system. The insurance company would be paying for the defense and the insurance company would pay any judgment.
SO how’s that relate to the instant scenario?
They had to charge her with SOMETHING. SOmething to keep her behind bars, or get her in the system and GET SOME conditions imposed on her release.
I have a challenge for you: Watch the case. I guarantee you the charges will later be upgraded to felony charges.
There are all kinds of arbitrary time limits on release, charging, amending charges, etc. We don’t know the whole story.
Of course, that chithole of a city is as corrupt as the Russian oligarchs, though.
The poor woman will probably be late for work now what with the cops harassing her.
They have to charge the criminals with misdemeanors, that way the “Powers That Be” can keep getting re-elected.
Back in the day, prison inmates turned big rocks into small pebbles all day long, everyday.
Today, we don’t even send them to prison.
I’m all in favor of the Florida-style method of dealing with this bullcrap.
Sam
Let me guess, she did not have a FOID or a carry permit? Will she be charged with those violations? Maybe. Will she serve any time for them? Doubtful. I am sure they will plea bargain all that away.
At 2:15 you hear the male yelling “B__h you out here tweakin” repeatedly – as in, high on crack and/or meth.
Nuff said.
When gun-grabbers talk about “10 seconds before the shooting this person was a law-abiding gun owner” I point to videos like this.
No, no they were not law-abiding. Almost invariably the people who commit homicide or assault with a firearm have a LONG, well documented history with breaking the law.
“Until and unless we get serious about putting violent predators and monsters misusing unlawfully possessed firearms away in prison for a very long time, we will not see Florida’s record low rates of firearm-related violent crime.”
We as gun owners MUST be about this. If we are serious when we say that we value the lives of the innocent, we MUST be assertive in pushing for a justice system that REMOVES the predators from running free in our society.