Jasmine Estrada

English 1101
Argument Draft
December 8, 2015
This paper is for the citizens of Illinois and mainly for the citizens in Chicago
that are worried and outraged at the gang and constant gun violence that
continues to terrorize and effect everyone living in Chicago. Listen and just
put the damn guns down! Stricter sentences on those involved in the gang
wars. Enough is enough.

Chicago, where bullets fly like gnats and chaos reigns.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Chicago is that people think that its all
of the minorities that are to blame for the ignorance and the consistent bloodshed
especially Latinos and African Americans, but its not. Its people. Not an entire race is to
blame for the flaws of one. There are good bad people everywhere and no matter how
you look at it, those are people of all races and of all ages. I was reading an article
about Steve something, he was talking about Chicago but he lives in NEW YORK!
Leave it up to a New Yorker to tell you how it is living in Chicago. But Ill tell you this, we
are a not in the top 5 of the most dangerous cities in America. There are worse, but this
is beside the point, the point is, that not all minorities are to blame for the killings of
multiple people each week. Its gang members and those that simply do not know god
and the value of life. The dont value their life so they dont care to take the life of an
innocent. In an article from The Daily Beast, written by Jim Young, interviewed a man
named Askari Ali, a community organizer, who was born and raised in Chicagos violent
Austin neighborhood. He said, Theyre killing babies, theyre shooting mothers and
shooting children Their mentality is, if I dont like myself, why would I like you?
Theyre vicious and malicious people. They dont care about no one, no themselves but
if someone disrespects them, they settle the score with weapons.
Chicago where there is constant bloodshed on our soil by gang members. This
violence that is on going in Chicago scares me because I happen to have a lot of family
and friends that live in Chicago. God forbid, but at any given moment one of my friends
or family could be shot and killed by an accidental bullet. My best friend, Theanah, Ive
known her for years, she lives on the West side of Chicago. When I talk to her about her
living in Chicago, she says: Its crazy man. The constant gun shots, the robberies, the
death of children and older people. Its scary. Shit, my boyfriend and sister work out
here, what if someone wanted to shoot them just because or because my boyfriend
wears nice things? Its a dangerous and scary world we live in Jas. While listening to
her, she seemed so scared and worried about the violence that is never-ending.
So whats causing this problem to go on? Gang members. They are half the
problem because the citizens with guns, that are legally licensed to have them, are
rarely ever the problem. Those that are licensed to have them are ghosts in society.

Jasmine Estrada
English 1101
Argument Draft
December 8, 2015
This paper is for the citizens of Illinois and mainly for the citizens in Chicago
that are worried and outraged at the gang and constant gun violence that
continues to terrorize and effect everyone living in Chicago. Listen and just
put the damn guns down! Stricter sentences on those involved in the gang
wars. Enough is enough.
Since before our time, Chicago was plagued with violence and gangs. In the 1920s Al
Capone was Americas best known gangster and greatest symbol of the collapse of law
and order, during the 1920 prohibition era. Capone lent Chicago its reputation of a
lawless city. Since then theres been a report of about 1,300 different gangs in Chicago
alone thatll only continue getting bigger that are mostly located on the North, South and
West side. Which I would personally are dangerous. The West side of Chicago is on top
with it being the worst out of three. There, theres West Garfield Park and West
Englewood and their homicide rates being quite high. In the article from The Daily
Beast, Ali told the beast, The more-structured gang culture of the 80s and 90s would
make a young person conscious of what they are doing; but now, if you shoot up a
McDonalds and kill children, nine out of ten times, people will say you a savage, you
go hard. Now days, these young gang members dont care about the one street rule,
no women and definitely no children.
Over the year of 2015, there have 2,213 murders in the city of Chicago and 350
were over the same period, all in three days. This includes, parents, children and a
bunch of innocent people that were accidently hit by a flying bullet. On the Fourth of
July, Amari Brown, 7 years old, was hit by a flying bullet that was meant to be for her
father who was involved in such activities. Aliyah Shell, 6 years old was killed back in
March in 2012 along with 10 other people that were killed. Just recently, in an article by
Jeremy Gorner in the Chicago Tribune said Tyshawn Lee, the 9-year-old boy was
targeted by gang members because of his fathers gang ties. Lee was lured into the ally
and gunned down because the gang members thought he was a threat to them. In an
article from The Daily Beast, written by Jim Young, stated Chicago being the Mass
shooting Capital in America and a new epidemic, which are the mass shootings.
Consequently, what we need to do is stop this shenanigans and take away gun
control allow the citizens to their right to bear and keep arms. The conceal and carry
law in Chicago is simple. It is 600 dollars, you cannot have a criminal record even a
misdemeanor no pending warrants, full background check, and 16 hours of firearms
training by state police. So, why do so many gang members have illegal guns? The
minimum sentence for gun violence is clearly just not enough and just seems to be
getting worse. In an article from Washington-times, by Kelly Riddel, she stated that an
86 year-old man, with a concealed carry permit fired his gun at the armed robber,
stopping him and allowing the police to make the arrest. Now, with having our second

Jasmine Estrada
English 1101
Argument Draft
December 8, 2015
This paper is for the citizens of Illinois and mainly for the citizens in Chicago
that are worried and outraged at the gang and constant gun violence that
continues to terrorize and effect everyone living in Chicago. Listen and just
put the damn guns down! Stricter sentences on those involved in the gang
wars. Enough is enough.
amendment, which says: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a
free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. And
with that being said, it is our right to protect ourselves. Arming us with the right to
conceal and carry, is deterring these gang members and other violent people. 14
percent have concealed-carry permits in the state of Illinois. It is not a coincidence that
with granting concealed and carry permits, that the crime rates have dropped 22
percent. Criminals not knowing whos armed and whos not, has a deterrence effect. So
therefore, what we need to do is grant the right to conceal and carry, but to those who
show worthy and meet the qualifications. Those that commit a crime with a firearm
resulting in someone losing their life, should be sentenced and given tougher penalties.
Enough is enough. Time to take back the city and get these bangers off the street.

Sources Used:
Americas mass shooting capital is Chicago.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/08/america-s-mass-shootingcapital-is-chicago.html
Chicago Crime Rate Drop as Concealed-Carry applications surge
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/24/chicago-crime-ratedrops-as-concealed-carry-gun-pe/?page=all
Police say 9-year-old boy was lured and gunned down because of
fathers gang ties
http://search.proquest.com.cod.idm.oclc.org/chicagotribune/docview/173060
9399/5956C3D7BF8C41E2PQ/3?accountid=10202