There was a mass stabbing attack in Illinois yesterday that left four dead and five injured. In London, there was a brutal stabbing attack on a train.
Is banning certain items like guns and knives the solution, or is cracking down on criminals the solution?
Yesterday’s mass stabbing was west of Chicago in Rockford, IL. It started with a home invasion, and when a “good Samaritan” stepped in, the attacker went to other homes in the neighborhood, continuing to stab people. Things might have turned out much differently if that good Samaritan had been armed.
No matter how many weapons you try to ban or regulate, criminals will find something to use. Bottles and other blunt objects are common, and we live in a world where almost anything can be turned into a weapon.
- There was over 4600 stabbings and slashings occurred in New York (not counting the number of crimes that resulted in no injuries) in 2023.
- In 2023, Chicago had over 27,000 violent crimes, with 2501 people shot and another 576 killed.
- Strong gun laws in England didn’t stop Wednesday’s attack. Last year, London had around 13,000 reported stabbings (36 per day). Two-thirds of the 103 homicides were stabbing-related.
The average age of an offender in the London homicides was in their 30s, and they were 40% black, 20% declined to define ethnicity (I would like to know how this category is possible), and 18% were white.
The stabbing victims were 43% white, 35% black, and 18% Asian.
This isn’t a gun issue; it’s a criminal issue.