Forty-two people were shot, seven fatally, over Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, despite new gun laws and extra officers patrolling the streets.
While the numbers were only slightly higher than the 39 shootings and seven deaths over the same weekend last year, the city had sought to lower gun incidents this year by deploying 1,200 additional police, as well as conducting early drug raids, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Several new gun control measures took effect Jan. 1, including expanded rules for revoking Firearms Owners’ Identification (FOID), ‘red flag’ gun confiscation procedures, and an extended rifle purchase waiting period of 72 hours, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“That is just an unacceptable state of affairs,” said newly sworn-in Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who rode with police Saturday night as they responded to violence across the city.
“I certainly knew that before, but to see it graphically depicted is quite shocking and says that we’ve got a long way to go as a city,” she added.
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