What does Chicago’s murder rate look like since concealed carry became legal?

As of mid-2013, the state of Illinois became the last in the country to make concealed carry legal. Since opening up the application process in January of this year, Illinois has issued over 13,000 concealed carry permits.

Just this week, Chicago Police have said that the city’s first-quarter murder rates are the lowest they’ve been since 1958.

Via ABC-affiliate Eye Witness News in the Windy City:

• The first three months of the year saw 6 fewer murders than the same time frame in 2013–a 9 percent drop–and 55 fewer murders than 2012, according to a statement from Chicago Police.
• There were 90 fewer shootings and 119 fewer shooting victims, drops of 26 and 29 percent respectively, according to police statistics.
• Compared to the first quarter of 2012, there have been 222 fewer shootings and 292 fewer shooting victims. Overall crime is down 25 percent from last year, and police said more than 1,300 illegal guns were recovered in the last three months.

If this is a coincidence, it’s too early to give a definitive answer. We’ll go on record as guessing that it directly correlates with the recent concealed carry law. What criminal wants a victim shooting back?

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