We are used to recapping the shooting numbers in Chicago on Monday for the weekend. Sadly, it is tantamount to checking the weekend box scores. This Memorial Day weekend was no different in Chicago, as eleven were killed and 53 were shot, including two two-year-old children.
Former Mayor Lightfoot was the recipient of much of the blame, and deservedly so, for the last few years. There was hope in the recent election that Chicago was ready to move in a different direction when Lightfoot finished third and out of office. Unfortunately, Chicago did not change paths but instead went deeper into the rabbit hole. The voters chose a more Progressive candidate in Brandon Johnson, who is backed by and benefited from a sizable donation by the teacher’s union. Johnson will continue the passive approach to fighting crime, and many said this weekend would be Johnson’s first big test. Johnson failed miserably.
This weekend, Chicago was not the only hot spot; that is sad news for all Americans. In Hollywood, Florida, families scattered for safety on Monday as a fun-filled day at the beach turned into a nightmare when gunshots filled the air. Witnesses claimed the shooting started when an altercation between two groups of teens escalated to gunfire. When the shooting stopped, nine people, including four young children, had been injured by errant gunfire. This shooting occurred in an area that is not known for violence, which unfortunately drives home the fact that these stupid acts of violence can happen anywhere.
In San Clemente, California, two Marines were hit by debris from fireworks. When they asked the people shooting the fireworks to cease, over forty teens turned on the Marines, and a melee began. The Marines were grossly outnumbered and beaten severely. The Marines did not require hospitalization, and no arrests were made.
Gavin Newsom chose not to address this attack in his state but did go after Governor Ron DeSantis for the attack in Florida. No guns were involved in San Clemente, and Newsom saw a chance for more publicity attacking DeSantis and the gun-related attack in Hollywood. It was an ill-advised statement filled with misinformation regarding his reference to legislation that had yet to go into effect.
According to NBC News: Shootings across the U.S. left at least 16 people dead and dozens more injured over Memorial Day weekend.
The gun violence occurred at beaches, high schools, and motorcycle rallies, among other locations, across at least eight states. Those killed were teenagers to people in their 60s.
The variety of locations and states is disheartening. Until Police are restaffed after the Democrat-driven Defund the Police movement decimated the number of active Police, and we unseat liberal D.A.s, we do not have a chance of slowing this trend of violence. Democrats scream for new gun laws with each shooting, but they know new laws will have no impact. The perpetrators in these incidents have no regard for rules or laws, and these claims are simply an effort for more control of law-abiding citizens.
It is difficult not to change our habits and restrict where we go out of fear. To do so is to relent our freedoms to those without respect for us. That should not be an option in a free society.
