A recent Supreme Court decision involving the Second Amendment was a controversial one as it was announced in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. The ruling said Americans have the right to carry firearms outside their homes for self-defense.
Gun violence in the U.S. has been steadily rising to the extent that in 2020, gun violence surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death for American children and adolescents, according to research from the New England Journal of Medicine.
One contributing factor is the massive number of guns in the country. With the current population of the U.S. around 335 million, civilians own an estimated 393 million firearms, according to a 2018 study from the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey.
After the Supreme Court’s most significant ruling on guns in a decade, the country remains deeply divided over how to address gun violence.
On Monday, “Chicago Tonight” correspondent Joanna Hernandez hosted the latest edition of our “Chicago Tonight: Voices” community conversation series, moderating a discussion focused on gun violence in America.
Hernandez was joined by Lisette Guillen of Case Files Chicago, Sgt. Jermaine Harris of the Chicago Police Department and Tanya D. Woods, executive director at Westside Justice Center.
The panelists explored the possible effects this decision will have on the future of gun rights and safety locally and nationally, policing strategies surrounding the issue, and the critical role of local organizations in the search for peace and justice.
Our next “Chicago Tonight: Voices” community conversation will take place Monday, Aug. 29. Visit wttw.com/events to RSVP.
