Yep, that Chicago "Man on Five" (Top Down) governance is really working in Chicago, more about politics than community safety.

Looks like Mr. Emanuel is just carrying on the same procedures as previous Chicago Mayors.

And, just think...Mr. Obama brought with him to D.C. Mr. Bixelrod, Mr. Emanuel, and Ms./Mrs. Valerie Jarrett (who condone this governance) to "help" him run the country. Wait a minute....Mr. Obama IS using this procedure by using Executive Orders and Progressive Cabinet Members to change regulations to enact the Progressive agenda.

Another article leading up to more stringent "Gun Control Laws".

If he runs Obamas campaign as good as he runs Chicago Romney is a shoe-in.

John

Didnt know Obama was your Master...lol

Obama was a state senator in Illinois, I think that's what he meant. He had quite a lot of influence in the gun control laws there.

Dumb dumb dumb.

That's why this country is in a tailspin.
The number of idiots are exploding.

dont you get it??

WTF does the president have to do with it? WTF does it matter who the shooter was targeting? WTF is a legal gun compaired to an illegal gun? All of my guns are legal, if I sell a gun to criminal is it illegal? or am I a criminal? The president has made NO move against legal gun ownership! Romney will put "fees" (TAXXES) on all aspects of firearms ownership. Quit being a tool of a party who hates you but loves your money and is willing... NO... IS LYING to you to get it. Freedom isn't free and the republicans think they can make a profit from it. So freedom could get realy expensive if you let it.

DONT TREAD ON ME!

All of my guns are legal, if I sell a gun to criminal is it illegal? or am I a criminal?

Yes, if you sell a gun to a criminal, it is then an illegal gun. Whether or not you are a criminal would depend on whether you sold the gun to a criminal knowing he was a criminal or not. If you knew he was a criminal who wasn't allowed to own a gun, you would have committed a felony, thereby making it illegal for you to own guns, and all your guns would then be illegal. If you had no reason to believe the person was a criminal, then you would be in the clear.

As to what difference does it make if it is a legal gun or an illegal gun, well, if it is an illegal gun, then it really doesn't matter what gun laws are passed, as the gun was already gained through illegal means. The current laws didn't stop it from being had, what would make you think a different law would have a different result.

The definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again (passing numerous gun laws that are already being broken) and expecting different results (expecting a new law to stop the criminal element).

to legally sell your firearm(s) in the state of illinois you need to get buyers foid number or it is an illegal sale and you are a felon.

john deaux

"Obama's Chicago? Then I guess it's Obama's Los Angeles and Obama's Miami too, because last time I checked he was President of the whole country."

Capone would be envious but then he had no school transcripts to hide.

yes it is illegal to sell a gun to anyone that dont have a FOID card.And i think the person who buy's a gun and sells it to a person who commits a crime with that gun without the proper paper work(bill of sale,copy of FOID card,and serial number of gun),should be given the same sentance as the convicted.And for the people who scratch off numbers,there should be a record or another place on the gun with the serial number really small hidden on the gun.They should make it mandatory for any gang related gun crimes should be automadicly life with no perole.

Marty.... that would be politically incorrect and an infringement of their Constitutional rights. OK.. sarcasm button off now.

It would be my wish that the lowlife thug scumbags that ARE caught do a minimum of 15 years CONSECUTIVE and not concurrent to any other charges just for the use of an illegal firearm in the commission of a crime.

Well said by the both of you. You took the words right out of my mouth. Something drastic needs to be done to deal with these gangbanger punks, maybe if they are sent someplace where they have nowhere to hide and no one to hide behind, and get the crap scared out of them then they regret the path they chose in life. As a result nobody else would make the mistake of going down the same path.

Personally Marty I agree with you. I think they should evacuate Chicago of all civilians, round up all the gangbangers country wide, and drop them all on the streets there.

The one who lives wins.

It's a Chicago/Illinois problem, not a problem for the rest of the country. If a city or state cannot get a handle on violence in their inner cities, why is it all of a sudden the federal government's or the tax payer's responsibility to fix? Federal laws require federal enforsement which requires more federal spending at a time when we should be cutting federal spending. The entity best equipped to handle this mess is the one that caused it: the City of Chicago.

Than put the winner up on a stage give him a big shiny trophy than put a bullet through his brain !

Good luck.

I'm sure there's something about that in the constitution somewhere, which prevents any kind of positive advancement in this country.

its almost that way now

@ Dingle

This is not just a Chicago problem. It's a national problem that has invaded almost every city in the country. Gangs and their violence are growing and seeping their filth into community after community. Remember when carjacking was just starting to grow? Nothing was done about that by Congress until a famous athlete's father was carjacked and murdered. THEN it became a federal crime. Congress won't act until someone in their family or someone they admire becomes a victim of gang violence. As long as it keeps happening to common citizens, the Congress turns their attention to something they find more important, like declaring National Cupcake Day.

Maybe the police have moved out of Chicago, safety from the gang bangers, in any case although I at one time spent a lot of money in C not one more penny will they ever make of me or my family. We have gangs in Houston and gang problems, most of them here realize we shoot back.

Yeah, careful what you wish for there, guys and gals!

We are blessed with freedom of association in the United States.

We can't outlaw any particular group, nor can a person be punished merely for belonging, or allegedly belonging, to any group. If this was not the case, the U.S. of A. would likely have as many political prisoners as many other nations do.

There is a reason we prosecute actual crimes, not associations. Unless, of course, you count guilt by association, but that generally means that you either have to have been there when your confederates were committing the crime or that you were an accessory to the crime, aiding and abetting, etc.

Participants in street gangs and organized crime rings commit enough felonies in the course of what they do to get them put away for many years should they be caught, prosecuted, and convicted. Just rounding them up and putting them away somewhere can rapidly escalate into some very scary stuff we don't want happening here.

This happened south of the chicago dmz. Nobody cares as long as its contained in "those neighborhoods."

@Tigor

Gangs are a criminal enterprise that advocate and freely practice murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, hijacking, drug and arms trafficking, blackmail, bribery, intimidation, money laundering and a whole list of illegal activities. The fact that its done as a group effort shouldn't shield them from the fact that if they are criminals and responsible for what the group (gang) does.

Marty-3578909

What kind of body count is it going to take before our lazy congress gets the point that these gang bangers are nothing but domestic terrorists? Shooting a school bus full of kids is something you normally hear about in Kabul, not in America. Gang banging needs to be a FEDERAL crime resulting in federal time. None of the 'perks' of a state prison either. No weight rooms, no TV, imprisonment thousands of miles from home, no contact visits, no parole.

now, now...where is your appreciation for the "diversity" and "culture" these gang-bangers represent?

I'm sure there is an explanation for this unfortunate incident, after all...

it's entirely probable that one of those kids or perhaps the bus driver "disrespected" a local gang by accidentally making a hand gesture that was misinterpreted by the shooter; for example, using the hand to signal a left turn

or, perhaps the color yellow is associated with a rival gang

...we must learn to understand them...like the gorrillas Jane Goodall studied for all those years

Marty-3578909

I understand it's not just in Chicago, but my point would apply to other areas affected by high rates of violent crime too. It's the up to the local and state politicians and authorities to handle the problem, not the federal goverment. We don't need more laws, we just need to hold our elected officials accountable for effectively enforcing the ones we already have.

Ab, no..I call them domestic terrorists, and believe that if convicted they should be executed as a terrorist. Gangbangers the same.

I am a firm believer in the death penalty. While it may not necessarily be a deterant, it would at least give us one less killer on the planet.

We call that tyranny, marty. Let's throw you in first.

XDm9mm

I agree, don't add more gun or ammo control laws - there are enough already on the books that aren't working. Sensible thing would be to increase the penalties for criminals who use guns in the commission of crimes - harsher penalties are the only answer - oh and more prisons.....send the criminals out to my man Sheriff Joe Arpaio (sp?) in Arizona, he'd know how to deal with them! 10 years in a tent, no tv, no a/c, pink undies and 100 degree weather will make the thugs believers!

peanutGalleryTheater

This happened south of the chicago dmz. Nobody cares as long as its contained in "those neighborhoods."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Yeh, just like we didn't care as long as the trouble in Mexico stayed in Mexico.... Well, guess what it is now over the boarder (with the help of our Washington politicians) and still everyone stands around saying oh my what to do? Guess none of the politicians wants to looooose a possible voter.....

@ Ryan in TX

What's tyranny? Wanting the feds to pay for incarcerating these gang bangers that move from state to state spreading their violence, crime, and death? You're defending THEM and their right to kill, steal, rape and all the other things they do? What an idiot! (or maybe a gang banger who can actually read!)

Gangs are a criminal enterprise that advocate and freely practice murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, hijacking, drug and arms trafficking, blackmail, bribery, intimidation, money laundering and a whole list of illegal activities.

...and we prosecute the people who actually break the law by committing the crimes, not just people they know, are related to, or hang around with, unless it can be proven that they, too, are guilty in the commission of those crimes.

The fact that its done as a group effort shouldn't shield them from the fact that if they are criminals and responsible for what the group (gang) does.

It doesn't. If the members of the gang are tried and convicted for their crimes, it doesn't matter if they committed them alone or as a group.

We can't just declare a group to be outlawed and arrest people for belonging to that group regardless of what they may have done or not done as members. That would be a bill of attainder, which is prohibited by Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution.

Consider this: How would we feel if someone accused Marty of being a 'gang banger'? How would it be proved or disproved beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law? Who cares if he actually committed any crimes, just the fact that he was believed by someone to belong to a gang is all that it takes to lock him away for a good long time. They do that in other countries, not the US. We would have to indict and try him for having actually committed a crime or aided in the commission of a crime, not just having the wrong friends or family.

Until we give up all of our constitutional rights, we'll never be safe, right?

Police Departments don't make us safer.

Lisa, per FBI statistics, while firearm ownership has increased, the incidence of violent crime has decreased.

Please compare Kennesaw Georgia, where firearm ownership is mandated (although not actually enforced) to Chicago, where firearm ownership (at least LEGAL ownership) is very highly restricted.

Since the Chicago gun ban was found to be unconstitutional-nothing has changed in Chicago-still can not legally own a handgun,or a semi-auto rifle,and no one is allowed to carry a gun other than the police,armored car / bank guards,and Rahm's bodyguards.Chicago has the most restrictive gun laws in the U.S., Illinois is the ONLY state that does not have a concealed carry law of some type,yet in Chicago-gun violence has INCREASED-while in the rest of the country gun violence has DECREASED.

Chicago still denies citizens the right to defend themselves from the gang bangers,and other assorted thugs and criminal riff-raff.

Gun control laws only take guns from those who follow the legal procedure to obtain them-the criminals and gang-bangers never obeyed ANY laws in the first place,so why would they suddenly stop carrying guns due to a law?

Gun control laws do not work,never have at any time in history,and never will. The criminals will still have guns.

All they did was beef up the zoning laws to keep gun shops and ranges out of the city limits and add crazy rules about HOW to carry a gun around. Anybody who likes guns moved out to the burbs long ago anyway.

The white power structure and money people who run Chicago and control all that happens financially, such as what contractor gets what lucrative contract and so on, don't really give a crap about this problem. Why? Because for the most part these crimes occur in well established crime zones and as long as the criminal element stays within their boundaries and only kill or terrorize those in the "zone" nothing will happen. BUT, the moment these criminal elements step out of or export their brutality into the power structure zone - that's when you'll see Rahm and his boys go to work.

The time of talking about the crime and what to do about it comes only as promises from politicians aimed only at appeasing the electorate and gaining their votes - a common Chicago (and Illinois) ploy to get the vote. After election is over everything goes back to the way it was - nothing is done except a crop of special interest politicians step into their $18,000 a month tax payer rented offices and continue to "do business!"

You're wrong. One day without freedom isn't the 'good life'.

Bill,

How about we leave the Federal authorities out of this and let the Mayor and Governor deal with the issues.

Let the citizens of CHICAGO pay for their trouble. Let the citizens of ILLINOIS pay for their trouble. Of course, the citizens of Illinois might get a tad bit miffed at spending more in the cesspool of Chicago, but that's why they elect who they do. To get the job done and and spend others money.

ThrowDownLounge...These thugs are probably ALREADY getting free everything, compliments of the government's ...our...money. Put them in prison and make them WORK for their meals and bed. Forget the TV, gym, etc. Sheriff Joe has the right idea. Pink underwear for all..but make them work and pay for that too.

texman...

If making being in gangs and doing criminal activities were illegal,

The ENTIRE US CONGRESS and the President would be imprisoned... wait a minute... THAT'S a GREAT IDEA!!!!!!!!

hahhaah XD...it's a great start at least.

Congress's most main accomplishment last month was declaring National Cupcake Day. They are afraid of tackling any problems, it might anger the PAC people who reward them so generously for doing nothing. Voting on something as important as domestic terrorism and the random slaughter of children and citizens is something they are avoiding. It isn't like this type of thing hasn't been going on for decades, and up to this point Congress has been immobilized by indecision and inaction. The whole bunch of them can't do their jobs and should face the same consequences of their imcompetence as anyone else who can't or won't do the job they are hired to do. The voters ought to fire the entire bunch of them and start over with representatives who actually want to do what is right for the country, not just what will increase their personal bank accounts and personal power.

It's Chicago's and Emanuel's job and responsibility. Not the U.S. Congress.

Marty, that's why the Constitition was written with the attitude of "dont trust these guys." The only thing worse than an inefficient govt is an efficient one like the nazis. Send the power back to the states where any damage will at least be contained.

Guess we should start arresting cops too then. They're involved in criminal activities as well.

they do Ryan,you dummy.Thats why they have this agentcy called Internal Affairs.

Getting tired of all the right-wing political BS here. Everything that has ever happened on the face of this Earth that is bad is all Obama's fault. Oh, the power he has over all you idiots. I'm glad none of the kids were hurt? Do any of you even remember that a FREAKING SCHOOL BUS WAS SHOT AT?

ScienceCzar Is blaming Obama worse than making everything Bush's fault?

David, I only blame Bush for what he ACTUALLY did. Get us into a war in Iraq on false pretenses without having the balls to even suggest that we all make sacrifices to actually PAY FOR IT (you know, pay more taxes so we wouldn't end up LIKE WE ARE NOW). Instead he cut taxes (mostly for the rich... it's been 12 years, where the hell are all those jobs?). He also gave a break to seniors (just before an election) on prescription drug coverage, while prohibiting medicare from negotiating a fair price with the drug companies so those pigs can gouge us for whatever they want. The list of ACTUAL crimes against the people of the US goes on and on. I don't, however, blame Bush for bus shootings, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, and everything that goes wrong in the world. That's what the idiot right-wing does with Obama. I wish I had a dollar for every time one of you idiots tried to compare responsibility for REAL things that BUsh did with all the claptrap I read about Obama on these threads. I'd be filthy rich by now. Give me a break!

They're safer in Afghanistan.

RU Sure: You want a civil war ? Not another US military occupied city where soldiers mow down families at checkpoints, kill parents in night raids, let loose child killers like Sgt Robert Bales, and order aerial bombings! NYPD is bad enough.

And they're living on the south side so they have no future anyway.

I lived there for 8 years. Never saw a chicago cop doing anything more than directing traffic at the Taste-- literally.

You know in rural northern Michigan some school districts are closed the first day of deer season (november 15 here). They say it is because they want kids to be able to hunt with their dads, and there wouldn't be many kids at school, however, over the years many school buses (and other vehicles) have had bullets go through them on that day. Still happens in some of the schools that don't close. Most smart people in the rural areas stay inside on opening day because of all the idiot "weekend warrior" hunters from the cities who will shoot at anything that moves. Once they leave, only the experienced hunters remain, and it's a lot safer. Maybe there isn't any other explanation than a stray bullet. Not that that is a good thing, but all this hate and BS really gets old. Doesn't convince any body and doesn't solve anything. Mental masturbation if you ask me.

I thought Rahm had an agreement with the gang bangers to not shoot bystanders.

What could go wrong?

Can't happen that way. Look at the case in Florida....you know...that poor innocent boy that got shot. Nice photo of him when he was eleven. Not so nice the day he got shot. Not saying he deserved to die but if you smell like doodoo, look like doodoo and feel like doodoo then chances are, you are doodoo.

The constitution is my concealed carry permit...

Chicago is one of the states that have the toughest gun control laws around so obviously that's not the issue here.As an ex law enforcement officer before I joined the teams I've seen citizens do exactly what you've described in your armed robbery scenario here and the repercussions of said act. They end up going to jail and sued by the criminals family. I believe that everyone should have the right to carry firearms If they meet certain requirements. I do agree with some of the posters here who have written that they felt that If more people were commonly known to be armed then the crime rates would drop but arbitrarily shooting some one in the back while they themselves are in the commission of a felony armed robbery is criminal without the backup powers that come with being under the color of authority as a law enforcement officer. In this particular case the driver did the right thing by not stopping and getting those children to safety.Tougher gun control is not the answer here folks, raising the next generation to be good citizens of our nation is.

Fill it with concrete first...

First of all, this did not make headline news in Chicago

You must understand that because Catholics think homosexuality and abortion is wrong, they do not get the same level of protection that "mainstream Chicagoans get. (Keep the Pope's hands off my vagina)

Rahm Emanuel has already banned the building of any new Catholic churches or schools

He is thinking about requiring all Catholics to wear a gold "Star of David" on their arm or on their breast.

He is telling Chicagoans not to buy goods and services from known Catholics and will mandate all Catholics to clearly mark all storefronts and advertising "We are Catholics" so the people of Chicago will readily know who they are.

Soon, he will ban them from owning property or voting in city elections and relocate them into a ghetto somewhere in the city until the City Council can come up with a "Final Solution" to the Catholic Problem.

If this was a church bus instead of a school bus and the people in were either:

gay, black, or members of Jeremiah Wright's church, you can bet that this story would have achieved a very different tone.