Chicago City Wire

A recent rash of gun thefts from cars parked in the South Loop is no surprise to gun rights advocates.

Mandi Sano, spokesperson for the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance, told Chicago City Wire that law abiding citizens with Concealed Carry Licenses (CCL) will leave their guns in the cars before entering a building with a “no carry” sign.

“I suspect if we look at the area of the thefts there is a congruence of a place where CCL holders may be and a location where CCL is disallowed," Sano said in an email. "Thus creating a target rich environment for thieves looking for guns, or looking for unarmed victims."

She added that the stolen guns will almost certainly end up being used in a crime since “the vast majority of guns used in crime on the street come from theft. I suspect these guns get cycled through the criminals on the street over and over again."

Yet, nearly all gun control proposals in Illinois target law-abiding citizens, not criminals.  

In 2023, Illinois banned the sale and distribution of high-powered semiautomatic, so-called assault weapons, including AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, as well as large-capacity magazines.

The state also requires a 72-hour waiting period when purchasing guns, along with other restrictions that earn it an A- rating from the Giffords Law Center. 

However, strict gun control laws haven’t stopped Chicago from recently being designated as the murder capital of the nation for the 12th consecutive year. 

Nationally, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that law abiding Americans have a right under the Second Amendment to protect themselves with handguns for self-defense, but it’s unclear if the right covers the AR-15 or other so-called assault weapons.

That could be decided this fall if the court agrees to take on an August federal appeals court ruling that upheld Maryland’s ban on AR-15s.

Nine Democratic states and Washington, D.C., have restrictions on the purchase or possession of AR-15 rifles and other so-called assault weapons.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris does not see the Constitution as an obstacle to her gun control agenda, reports Reason.

Sano argues that we have more of a culture problem than a gun problem in this country.  

“If we as a society show that criminal behavior is acceptable or a small issue then it will become more prevalent,” she said. “It seems so obvious to me that the criminals need to be addressed, not the people that obey the laws. How does preventing law abiding citizens from having firearms do anything more than create a target rich environment?”