Violent crime may be trending down in Chicago (as it is across much of the United States), but that doesn’t mean it’s non-existent. There are still plenty of robberies, muggings, and assaults taking place (many of them on the “gun-free” property of the Chicago Transit Authority), but thankfully there’s also a growing number of Chicago residents who’ve realized that their safety is their own responsibility.
That would include the armed citizen who was able to defend himself against an armed robber Wednesday afternoon.
A 27-year-old man was approached by a 16-year-old boy who pulled out a gun and attempted to rob him, police said. The man took out a handgun of his own and shot the teen suspect in the chest.
The 16-year-old was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronoucned dead. His identity has not been released.
Two handguns were recovered at the scene, police officials said.
This defensive gun use is also another example of the failure of Illinois’ strict gun control laws. A 16-year-old can’t legally purchase or possess a firearm in Illinois, yet the teen somehow managed to get his hands on one despite the state’s universal background checks, FOID card requirement, and 72-hour waiting period (among other laws).
Those laws don’t stop criminals, but they do make it needlessly difficult for folks to legally acquire a gun. And Chicago makes it even more difficult to get a concealed carry license. There are no gun ranges inside the city limits, so any Chicago resident who wants to lawfully carry in self-defense has to travel to the suburbs or beyond to obtain the required 16 hours of training, which also includes a live-fire test that must take place at a range.
Despite those barriers to entry, there are tens of thousands active concealed carry licenses in Cook County. If Chicago made it easier to exercise our Second Amendment rights, DGUs like this would be even more common, but instead there are still far too many encounters with criminals that end up with victims shot, like we saw in another attempted robbery that took place just a few hours after the armed citizen above was able to protect himself.
A 48-year-old man was walking outside when a man tried to rob him, police said.
The victim yelled for help, and the suspect shot in the man’s direction.
The 48-year-old man was shot in the right arm and was taken to an area hospital. He is expected to be OK.
No suspect is in custody in that shooting, and odds are no one will ever be arrested for the crime. As the Chicago Sun-Times reported last year, just 6% of non-fatal shootings in the city between 2018 and 2024 resulted in an arrest. Many armed robbers and other violent criminals believe they can get away with their crimes, and sadly, they’re often right about that. The number of armed citizens is still well below what it should be for a city with Chicago’s population, so the chances of running across someone who’s ready and able to defend themselves is pretty slim. Couple that with the long odds of being arrested and it’s no wonder many criminals in the Windy City believe they can carry out their crimes with impunity… and why some juveniles see robberies and carjackings as an easy way to get cash and prizes.
I’m not cheering the death of this teen robber. I wish he’d never picked up a gun in the first place. I am glad, however, that his intended victim had taken the necessary steps to be able to defend himself, and I hope that this incident will serve as a lesson for both unarmed residents and anyone thinking about committing an armed robbery of their own.
Editor’s Note: Every day, Americans are saving lives by exercising their Second Amendment rights.
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