By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
Baltimore
Despite being in a state with some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, Baltimore, Maryland is rolling up another staggering body count for a city its size, suggesting that gun control is a dismal failure.
According to the Associated Press, “Baltimore could wrap up 2019 with its highest per-capita homicide rate on record…” WBAL News reported that city’s homicide count peaked in 1993 with 353 slayings. As of Thursday morning, this year’s murders hit the 339 mark, and with less than a week remaining in 2019, the city is not anxious to rack up another baker’s dozen.
And that’s not the whole story. The Associated Press noted that with a lower population than in 1993, the city could surpass the homicide rate with just four more killings. That would bring the homicide rate to roughly 57 per 100,000 residents.
But one might ponder how this can happen in a state where—as detailed by the Giffords Law Center, a gun control group—guns and ammunition are regulated. According to Giffords, Maryland does not allow sales or transfers of ammunition solely for handguns or so-called “assault weapons” to anyone under age 21. No person under age 18 can legally purchase ammunition for any kind of firearm.
And Maryland remains one of the states with “discretionary” issuance of concealed carry permits. It’s very difficult to obtain a carry permit, which does not seem to have discouraged criminals from packing heat, just law-abiding citizens.
Overall, in 2018, the FBI Uniform Crime Report shows 470 slayings in the entire state of Maryland, and apparently Baltimore provided the bulk with 309 murders.
Meanwhile, Chicago appears ready to show another reduction in the number of murders for 2019. Homicides have declined about 14 percent so far this year, but that leaves a weekend and New Year’s Eve. The Windy City had so far this year produced 475 murders at mid-month, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In New York, there have so far been 309 slayings and out in Los Angeles, the body count is even lower with 245 reported killings, the newspaper said. California and New York have strict gun control laws, as well.
By contrast, the murder numbers from each of these cities are higher than totals for some entire states, according to data from the annual FBI Uniform Crime Report.
Wyoming, which has a high percentage of gun ownership, produced 12 murders last year. Montana posted 34 while North Dakota reported 16 slayings and South Dakota just 13 killings. All of those states have widespread gun ownership. In gun-friendly Idaho, there were 32 murders in the entire state last year.
In Washington State, where Seattle-based gun prohibitionists have used billionaire-backing to push through a trio of restrictive gun control measures, there were 232 murders last year, of which 138 involved firearms.
