It has become almost commonplace to remark upon the rampant deadly gun violence that plagues the Democrat-run city of Chicago, Illinois, particularly on long holiday weekends, and the recent Labor Day weekend was certainly no exception.
According to the Chicago Police Department and local media, more than 40 individuals were shot and at least 10 people were killed between Friday night and Tuesday morning, according to Breitbart.
It does not appear at this point that Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has acknowledged or commented upon the grim toll exacted on his constituents by criminals wielding firearms in blatant violation of the city's rather strict anti-gun laws.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that as of Tuesday morning, at least 10 people were killed over the Labor Day weekend while at least 34 others were wounded by gunfire in dozens of separate shooting incidents that occurred beginning on Friday evening.
The youngest of those fatalities was a pair of 15-year-old boys, both of whom died on Monday following separate shootings that occurred Sunday evening and Monday night in which both boys sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The oldest fatality over the weekend was a 53-year-old woman who actually wasn't shot but instead died from "multiple injuries" inflicted upon her during a physical attack inside her own home.
The remainder of the victims who died were all men who were in their 20s and 30s who were shot in various separate incidents throughout the city -- some of whom were clearly innocent victims while others may have sustained their mortal injuries while involved in criminal or gang activity.
Of the 34 non-fatal shooting victims over the Labor Day weekend, according to the Sun-Times, perhaps the most tragic was a 6-year-old boy who was shot in the leg during a Sunday evening family gathering inside of a home, though the child was listed in good condition at Comer's Childrens Hospital and is expected to survive.
A 13-year-old boy was also shot in the head while outside on a sidewalk Sunday evening and he is listed in critical condition at the same hospital.
Also of note were a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl who were shot in the abdomen and foot, respectively, following a Friday night high school football game. They were also transported to the children's hospital, where the boy is listed as critical and the girl is in good condition.
All of that said, there appears to have been at least one shooting that few will be overly upset about -- a defensive gun use by a homeowner who shot a 39-year-old intruder who "entered a home without permission" Monday afternoon and received two gunshot wounds to the chest that left him in serious condition at a local hospital.
The tally of 10 dead and 34 wounded over Labor Day weekend, as reported by the Sun-Times, is actually somewhat of an improvement over the toll for the same holiday weekend last year, in which 10 people were killed and 46 others were wounded by gunfire, according to the local Fox affiliate at that time.
It was also a definite improvement over 2021's particularly bloody Labor Day weekend, during which a total of 65 people were shot, six of them fatally, according to a report at that time from the Chicago Tribune.
However, the vast majority of the shooting deaths and injuries this past holiday weekend -- to say nothing of the same pattern virtually every other normal weekend -- are unacceptable and unnecessary and could be stopped if the Democratic leadership of the city would actually allow for and encourage police and prosecutors to arrest and imprison known and repeat offenders who are behind much of the violence that occurs.
