The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday morning that the city has recorded 343 homicides so far this year, and with a few days still to go, that number just might creep up.
What the newspaper didn’t acknowledge is that the number of deaths from gunfire – 300 this year as opposed to 275 in 2016 – is one more indicator that strict gun control laws that affect law-abiding citizens from owning and carrying defensive sidearms do not keep guns out of criminal hands.
In Chicago, the number of slayings is down from last year by about 15 percent, according to AFP. So far this year, there have been 664 slayings in Chicago, according to data from the Chicago Tribune. However, AFP put the number at 635 as of mid-December. Either number is down from the more than 700 logged in 2016.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting a decline in murders in New York City this year. Quoting New York Police Department data, the WSJ said there have been 286 murders in the Big Apple as of Wednesday, so the city could end 2017 with fewer than 300 slayings.
Down in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post data shows 110 homicides in The District so far for the year.
Baltimore and The District have lower populations than Seattle, where there were 25 slayings as of Dec. 20, according to Seattle Police Department data. That’s up from the 18 logged in 2016. Of those 25, the data shows 17 involved firearms. In 2016, 11 of those murders were gun-related.
Seattle is the largest city in Washington, in the state’s most populous county: King. According to the state Department of Licensing, there were 100,555 active concealed pistol licenses in that county as of Dec. 1. Roughly 20 percent of those armed citizens are women.
In Maryland, it is nearly impossible for average citizens to obtain a carry permit, while in Washington, there were more than 591,000 active CPLs as of Dec. 1. That’s more than five times the number of permits in the state of California, which is the most populous state in the West. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2016, California logged 1,930 slayings and Maryland reported 430 murders while Washington reported 195 homicides.
Ironically, now that Democrats have control of the Washington Legislature, they’re talking about passing more gun laws and attacking state preemption, the law that prevents Seattle and other liberal cities from adopting their own, often conflicting, gun laws. Apparently, anti-gun Evergreen State Democrats want Washington to be more like Maryland and California.
Only to an anti-gunner could that make sense.
