The Memorial Day weekend brought high body counts to two cities that have traditionally been anti-gun, and yet there have been no mass protests over the carnage.
Baltimore reported the worst mayhem for a single month in some 15 years, with the holiday weekend with more than two dozen shootings that produced nine homicides, according to WJZ, the local CBS affiliate.
Chicago saw a dozen killings and at least 43 people wounded by gunfire, according to WBBM, the local CBS affiliate.
Details have been sparse on most of the shootings as police in both cities continue their investigations.
Chicago-area anti-gunners have announced plans to protest outside of a suburban gun shop in Riverdale. John Riggio, proprietor at Chuck’s Gun Shop, notified TGM via e-mail that the June 6 protest will apparently be held at mid-morning. It’s nothing new for Riggio, whose shop has been targeted in the past.
At one of those protests, in 2008, a local priest suggested that Riggio be “snuffed,” a remark that created its own controversy.
WJZ’s coverage of the mayhem in Baltimore noted that the spike in violence “is plaguing all parts of the city.” This is the same city that has seen rioting following the police-custody death of Freddie Gray, but so far, there have been no calls for massive protests against the holiday weekend bloodletting.
