Family, not guns, is the issue

In May and June, I've heard many people in the Chicago area say that Chicago needs more gun control laws, but gun control laws don't decrease the murder rate.

In Chicago, no one except police officers and aldermen is allowed to own handguns. Chicago has a higher murder rate (number of murders per 100,000 people) than New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Denver, and Miami.

The criminals go to other towns, buy guns, and bring them to Chicago, knowing that the law-abiding people can't defend themselves.

According to the Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, by William Bennett, in 1960, about 10 percent of American babies were born out of wedlock. By 2013, the rates were at least three times higher than that. When only one parent raises a child, it's harder to teach the kid good morals, especially since many single mothers work two or three jobs to make ends meet.

When parents aren't with their kids, many of their teenagers become criminals, causing many kids to shoot people and/or become shooting victims. Government can't do much to change this. Each American should be more responsible and not conceive children until they're married.

Single fathers should show that they care more about their kids by paying child support and spending more time with their kids.

Phil Collins

Wheeling