Critical thinking needed to fight gun crime

The July 30 article which said "jobs cure killing" lacks critical thought. It did a fine job building an accounting case based on a shaky premise and ignored the lack of action by Chicago's mayor and state legislators.

A murderer was interviewed and said he would like a job for at least $13 per hour, but he lost jobs due to a "lack of reliable transportation" among other factors. Police estimate 1,500 people are causing the murders of which only 10 percent are resolved. The logic, since the "1,500" are not known, spend $1.3 billion. It compares the $1.6 billion spent on prisons, implying we can reduce that cost.

Recalling only 10 percent of the crimes are solved, the math shows approximately 200 additional convicts in the system over three years. An option not explored would be to attack illegal gun possession. Nowhere does it publish the arrest rate for illegal gun possession, and recent legislation only impacts legal gun owners.

Baltimore's homicide rate exceeds Chicago's. In 2016, Baltimore police conducted an analysis of gun convictions finding 56 percent had sentences suspended, meaning no jail time even though the average sentence was six years. Kevin Davis, Baltimore police commissioner, said, "They're emboldened because they're not held accountable for the crimes they commit."

In 2013 in Chicago, Hadiya Pendleton, an honor student, was gunned down as she stood with friends. Michael Ward confessed to the shooting. Then police Superintendent Garry McCarthy noted that at the time of Hadiya's slaying, Ward was on probation for a weapons conviction. McCarthy said weak Illinois gun laws allowed Ward to avoid jail time because of the absence of mandatory minimum sentences.

Oh yeah, the $1.3 billon did not include funding to improve mass-transit.

Richard Bolesta

Schaumburg