At least 100 people were shot, 17 of them fatally, during the July 4th weekend in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s (D) Chicago.
Earlier in the weekend, Breitbart News reported at least 58 people were shot in the city Wednesday night to Friday night alone. Eleven of the 58 gunshot victims succumbed to their wounds.
By Sunday morning, the tally of gunshot victims had risen to at least 87 people, 16 of whom died.
The violence was so great that ABC 7 / Chicago Sun-Times pointed out one Chicago resident referred to July 4th as “assassination day.”
On Monday morning, CNN reported the number of gunshot victims was at least 100 people, 17 of whom died from their injuries. Moreover, CNN noted the July 4th “weekend gun violence in Chicago this year marks around a 27% increase in shootings over last year.”
Same input, same output. https://t.co/yKmWmyXqNq
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 7, 2024
The Chicago Sun-Times observed the number of people shot during the 2023 July 4th weekend was 73, with 11 fatalities.
The July 4th weekend lasted four days in 2024 and four days in 2023. It also lasted four days in 2019, when the total number of people shot was 68, five of which were shot fatally.
Chicago, like all of Illinois, has a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases, a red flag law, an “assault weapons” ban, a “high capacity” magazine ban, and a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card requirement. The process of acquiring a FOID card involves a thorough background check by the Illinois State Police.
Additionally, Cook County, where Chicago is seated, has its own “assault weapons” ban and ban on “high capacity” magazines. Yet at least 100 people were shot in the Windy City during the July 4th weekend.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at