Letter: Why doesn’t president mention gun violence in Chicago?
Recently, another horrid shooting occurred on a college campus. President Obama again addressed our nation regarding his sorrow over the loss of life and his desire for U.S. gun control. I know he is sincere. Most people in the U.S. are also weary of mass shootings and the death of innocent people, especially our vulnerable young.
Most U.S. citizens with guns do obey the laws. As citizens, those who do own a gun have a constitutional right to do so, although I personally dislike them.
My frustration with our president’s address is his complete lack of nationally addressing the ongoing shooting violence in his native city, Chicago. The number of shooting deaths in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune, totaled 2,587 in 2014, and from Jan. 1, 2015 to Oct. 1, 2,326. The numbers add up to a bloody ongoing street war primarily in poor black neighborhoods.
I wonder why when our president addresses gun violence he does not mention the mass murders in Chicago. Why does he not use his influence as president to encourage black leadership to work toward a peaceful solution and end the street battles in his home city? Why does he preach gun control only when mass murders occur on a school campus or movie theater without mentioning the daily murders in Chicago? Why?
Maxine Moore
West Richland
This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Letter: Why doesn’t president mention gun violence in Chicago?."