John Pfaff was quoted in a FactCheck.org article about President Trump’s remarks on gun laws and the crime rate in Chicago.
President Donald Trump has once again misused the example of Chicago to make a case against gun regulations.
Despite what the president claims, Chicago does not have “the strongest gun laws in our nation.” It once did, but the laws that gave it that distinction have since been rescinded. And a spike in homicides occurred after those laws were changed.
Trump also called Chicago “a disaster.” That’s an opinion, but it’s worth noting that other cities – some with less stringent gun laws – have higher rates of gun violence.
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Shootings and homicides in Chicago “are still high by urban American standards right now, but the trend appears to be downward,” John Pfaff, a professor of law at Fordham Law School, told us via email. “There’s still two months in the year, but that pushes back against the ‘disaster’ story.”