Desperate to staunch the bloodshed on the streets of the Windy City, the Chicago Police Dept. announced on Monday the formation of a new task force that it hopes will interrupt the “illegal flow of guns into the city.”
Called the “Gun Investigations Team” (GIT), the 50-person unit consisting of CPD officers and ATF agents will conduct probes designed to crack down on illegal gun sellers, traffickers, and straw purchasers, while at the same time putting emphasis on Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card revocations.
In my meeting with other leaders from across the country and @POTUS today, we discussed both short-term and long-term solutions to gun violence. We need a sense of urgency right now so we can save lives and serious consequences for those driving gun violence in our cities. https://t.co/2LVWwLypCs
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) July 12, 2021
“The point of this investigations team — which is new and unique, and a first in its class — is to get the gun before it hits the streets at the trafficking level,” said Police Superintendent David Brown at the press conference. “These third parties need to hear me loud and clear: We’re coming for you, and we’re going to try to charge you with the highest charge we can, if not in the federal system, then at the state attorney’s office.”
Operationally, the GIT will also get help from a 24-hour gun trafficking tip-line open to the public. Citizens who call in may receive “significant payouts” if the information they provide leads to an arrest.
SEE ALSO: Why Record-Setting Gun Sales Have Nothing To Do with Spike in Violent Crime
Just this past weekend, as many as 50 people were shot in the city, 11 of which succumbed to their wounds. Brown issued a stern warning to those who may be assisting violent criminals in obtaining firearms.
“Do not buy guns for violent people is our message, or you will pay the price for them by doing what we hope to be serious time,” Brown said. “Whatever they’re paying you to go buy these guns … it’s blood money.”
I spoke about the Chicago Police Department’s efforts to reduce gun violence in our city at a press conference this morning. Our mission is to stop the flow of guns in Chicago to make our communities safer. This includes the creation of our new Gun Investigations Team. pic.twitter.com/FbgjqWxx2b
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) July 19, 2021
Chicago’s GIT faces an uphill battle and it may not make any real strides for some time. That is because most guns used in crimes take an average of eight years to reach criminal hands, as GunsAmerica has previously reported. This is what the ATF calls “time-to-crime,” and it means that, on average, the guns purchased in 2020 won’t show up at crime scenes until 2028.
Likely, there are thousands of older guns circulating on the black market in Chicago. Resourceful gangsters and drug dealers will have no problem sourcing these firearms for the foreseeable future. It goes without saying but let’s hope that Chicago PD is putting as much focus on putting these violent offenders behind bars as it is on attacking the supply chain of “crime guns.”
Interesting to note that in April of 2020 Chicago’s biggest jail — the Cook County Jail — released roughly one-fourth of its inmates over COVID-19 concerns.
The state also agreed to release another 1,000 inmates back in March of this year following a lawsuit in federal court that initially sought the release of 13,000 prisoners.
Good ol Mayor Larry Lightweight was against the federal help when President Trump offered it , but when Potato head Joe offers it , that idiot is all for it.
The clown show known as Chitcago burn for all I care.
Mrs. O’leary’s cow failed….
Another complete waist of time. It’s a cultural problem. Why is it that the suburbs have many many more Guns then the inner cities and virtually zero shootings? Every weekend Chicago averages what 50-75 shootings? While not a single shooting in the surrounding suburbs. My friends and I have never said hey let’s go shoot up that house down the street, or go hold up a store for $40 then shoot the cashier. Unfortunately though when someone points out the obvious they are called a racist so the problem gets left to the same left wing leaders who come up with more useless programs like this one. The inner cities are 100% RUINED, WRECKED, and controlled by Democrats who refuse to brake up the teachers unions who can’t even get a single student above 50% proficient in math and basic English. Or lock up the punks who drive dirt bikes down the middle of the public streets and threaten legal drivers. Teach kids not to have 7 kids with 7 different people, or to think it’s ok to shoot someone for looking at them a certain way. Again it’s a cultural problem. And it’s not a racial problem, it’s identifying who and what is responsible for these things and then fixing them. Regardless of what they look like or where they live.
Foid cards are unconstitutional. You don’t need permission to own guns. The bkolence is caused by welfare and the fatherless households it engenders. Period (as Josef Stolen would say).
Stop releasing CRIMINALS early. Also actually arrest gun criminals and hold them with no bond because of the danger of them to the public. It’s actually very simple what needs to be done.
Come on guys. It’s not the criminals, let them all out. Couldn’t be the parents oh no. And certainly not the judges. It’s gotta be those evil guns walking around on the street shooting people. Why just the other day I saw an AR-15 walking into a 7-11 pointing itself at the cashier. The AR just needed money for ammo.
In Chicago there are over 100,000 well armed and dangerous gang members and 10,000-12,000 in the dwindling ranks of the CPD. Roughly it is a 10 to 1 ratio where now the PO probably will NOT stick their neck out since the heavy handed Lightfoot, Bobby Rush, Kim Fox et cetera have done so much damage to a system they could have never built..
The blue cities have no solution to the problems they have caused so what Dems do is import/export their problems into red cities and states through federal behethoms like HUD and Biden’s illegal military transfer of illegal aliens. The illegal OPs will NOT touch the elite areas that Obama, Biden, Soros and the other usual suspects lay their evil heads at night. Crack head Hunter will be protected from the ‘racial jungle’ or whatever Joe called it when he worried only about his over privileged family.
How about finding the criminals and locking them up?
How about judges that don’t need to grow a pair?
How about parents that give a ….?
And on, and on,…..
NAH….Old Joe told him to “git them guns” so they’re creating another worthless “program” to “solve” things😁