As reported, armed robbers continue to plague Oak Park, IL, in spite of Oak Park’s ill-fated attempt to be “gun free“:
- A man on the 700 block of North Taylor was approached by a criminal wearing a face mask, who displayed a black pistol. He ordered his victim to face his car, then reached in his pockets and took his wallet and car keys.
- A robber, wearing a ski mask and a hoodie, while armed with a black pistol, confronted a citizen on the 1000 block of North Austin. The criminal grabbed the man’s arm and led him into an alley, where he stole his wallet.
- A criminal in a hoodie assaulted a man in the alley behind the 800 block of Hayes, saying, “Don’t be a hero, give me everything you got.” The victim had his wallet and cell phone stolen.
- A criminal wearing a hoodie, with his face masked except for his eyes, walked up to a man sitting in a van on the 900 block of North Taylor, and threatened him with a silver pistol, before stealing his wallet.
- A criminal approached an Oak Park man as he unloaded groceries from his car on the 600 block of North Humphrey. The criminal pointed a silver pistol at the man, and said, “What ya got?” When the man’s wallet turned out to have nothing in it, the gunman handed it back and fled on foot.
Oak Park’s armed robberies increased by nearly 300% between 2007 and 2008, and 2009 is not off to a good start either. The handgun ban has failed to prevent all of these armed robberies, as a criminal who is willing to commit a serious felony like armed robbery won’t care about violating Oak Park’s handgun ban. Handgun bans have failed across the board, in larger cities such as the District of Columbia and Chicago, as well as smaller municipalities such as Oak Park.
Instead of preventing crime, handgun bans have ensured that Oak Park’s law abiding citizens are disarmed and vulnerable to home invaders and other violent criminals. Citizens who have chosen to ignore the (likely unconstitutional) handgun ban and defend themselves against criminals have previously been charged with gun possession. Other people who have carried a gun in Oak Park (in violation of state and local laws) have been able to defend themselves against armed robbers and a racist attacker, but must then fear legal consequences for carrying the gun that saved them from the violent criminals. It is truly unjust for Oak Park to cut police protection as armed robberies increase, while simultaneously denying its citizens the ability to lawfully have a handgun for self defense.
Unfortunately, gun control advocates seem unwilling to admit that handgun bans and other gun control schemes just don’t work, and instead cling to long since disproven myths in order to justify their failed policies. For the good of Oak Park’s residents, the handgun ban should be repealed.