Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer praised police while discussing gun control issues. | Courtesy Photo
Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer praised police while discussing gun control issues. | Courtesy Photo
Illinois state Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) calls on Democrats to hold criminals more responsible for crimes after learning of the homicide rate so far in 2021.
There have been more than 1,000 homicides in Cook County, with 777 in Chicago, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
"We have to hold criminals accountable for the crimes they commit," Davidsmeyer said in a post to his Facebook account on Dec. 1. "Personal Responsibility!! The majority party also must understand that changing the definition of crime doesn’t make the problem go away. It just lets the criminal get away with something that should be a crime!!"
Davidsmeyer also praised police while discussing gun control issues.
"The state police, I will tell you the rank-and-file, they are great to work with, they are awesome to work with," Davidsmeyer said.
As of Nov. 30, there were 1,009 homicides in the county in 2021, and 927 were gun-related, CBS Chicago reported. The last time Cook County had more than 1,000 homicides in one year was 1994, when there were 1,141 homicides. The record for Cook County is 1,229 homicides in 1991.
Cook County had 986 homicides last year, a 40% increase over 2019’s total of 675. Chicago itself also already has more homicides than all of last year, when the Chicago Police Department reported 769 homicides for the year. Davidsmeyer has also spoken out against the FOID card in Illinois, particularly due to the delays that the system is facing.
Murder victims in Cook County have overwhelmingly been ethnic minorities, with 81% being Black and 15% being Hispanic. The oldest homicide victim so far this year in Cook County was 84 years old while the youngest was just 1 month old.
Currently, Republicans in the Illinois legislature are trying to repeal FOID Act, which required citizens in Illinois to get a FOID card to be able to own a firearm, according to the Metro East Sun. Other background check requirements would remain in place. The average wait time to receive a FOID card is 121 days.
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