Of course there were guns in Chicago prior to SCOTUS striking down their ban. But, Chicago
was a gun free zone by law. Of course, that made it a soft target for criminals and nutters, like a school zone or theater writ large. That's the fundamental problem of GFZs: they assure that precisely the people you want to have guns, the law-abiding, don't have them. Inevitable tragedy ensues.
Let's take this point-by-point.
1. First of all, it was NOT an unconstitional ruling. Rather, it overturned a century of unconstitional precedent that relegated the 2A to second class "right" status: you have the right in theory, but the state can prevent you from exercising it outright (handgun or other bans) or by putting onerous conditions (licensing, registration requirements) on it. If anything, the ruling was tepid, allowing the onerous conditionals while only striking down outright bans. That it took so long to admit "shall not be infringed" means bans are unconstitional is astounding.
2. There are very few CHL holders in Chicago.
The latest Illinois Concealed Carry statistics by county
Chicago is in Cook County. It has the second lowest rate in Illinois, at a paltry 0.6% of the population. The national average is roughly 3% (11 million out of 320 million). So, in an area with much higher crime than average, it has over 5x lower adoption rate.
3. Why is this, and why has going from 0% to 0.5% had no effect on crime? The answer to these questions are the same: costs. In order to get a CHL in Illinois, the total cost is at least $400, not counting work time loss, transportation, internet costs or the purchase of a gun and ammo.
The requirements for a CHL in Illinois are here:
https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/CCL.aspx. If you click on the requirements link, you get a popup (not linkable that I can see on my tablet) listing them. Copying and pasting:
●16 hours of Concealed Carry firearms training provided by an ISP approved Instructor.
This is two 8 hour days. I've looked around, and the cheapest I could find was $140/day, which includes range fees. That's $280, but let's say a good shopper who knows the area could find it for $250.
●Electronic Copy of my training certificate(s). You will be required to upload your electronic certificate during the application process.
say included in training fee above, so cost $0. However, if one does not have an internet connection, that means a trip to an internet cafe.
●An Illinois State Police User ID and Password
I assume this is free. $0
●A Valid Driver’s License or State Identification card.
$20.
Apply for a New Illinois Identification Card | DMV.org
●A valid FOID card unless in the process of getting a valid FOID card.
FOID stands for "Firearm Owners Identification". To legally own any type of firearm or ammunition in Illinois, you need
https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/FOID.aspx
Requiring this is problematic, as one could have a CHL permit without owning a gun, just as one could have a driver license without owning a car. I'm going to be super generous and assume the photograph is covered by the state ID above or done as part of the classes. Either way, $0. However, the $10 FOID fee still applies.
●A head and shoulder electronic photograph taken within the last 30 days.Be able to provide the last ten years of residency.
Assume already covered.
●Fingerprints – Electronic fingerprints will expedite your application!
The cheapest I could find was $9 for black ink, not electronic.
LiveScan Fingerprinting Chicago.
●$150.00 payable with a credit card or electronic check.
So, that totals $250 (min) + $20 + $10 + $9 (min) + $150 = $439. That excludes a bunch of costs, and is the bare minimum to get a CHL, not including actually purchasing a handgun or ammo. So, that $439 only gets you the legal right to CC in Illinois. I'm a bit puzzled how anyone can contend that such a barrier isn't an infringement to a right. Imagine if a "free speech license" cost as much, and required prior vetting and state approval. Or an abortion. So, it's fairly obvious that the law-abiding poor are all but excluded from this program, precisely the people who need it most.
