When mass shootings occur, like this weekend’s in Odessa, Texas, many Republicans reference Chicago’s violence as evidence that gun control doesn’t work. Illinois has some of the country’s most stringent gun laws. Ivanka Trump discussed Chicago gun violence back in early August. Rudy Giuliani pulled out the trope just this morning .
Senator Ted Cruz, who’s home state of Texas experienced two different August mass shootings, also tweeted about the city. His message prompted a strong and immediate response from Mayor Lori Lightfoot who slammed Republicans for not taking action on gun control.
Yesterday afternoon, Cruz tweeted, “Gun control doesn’t work. Look at Chicago. Disarming law-abiding citizens isn’t the answer. Stopping violent criminals—prosecuting & getting them off the street—BEFORE they commit more violent crimes is the most effective way to reduce murder rates. Let’s protect our citizens.”
Gun control doesn’t work. Look at Chicago. Disarming law-abiding citizens isn’t the answer. Stopping violent criminals—prosecuting & getting them off the street—BEFORE they commit more violent crimes is the most effective way to reduce murder rates. Let’s protect our citizens. https://t.co/znHO31gDH2
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2019
Lightfoot responded to the senator’s tweet and did not hold back the vitriol. “60% of illegal firearms recovered in Chicago come from outside IL—mostly from states dominated by coward Republicans like you who refuse to enact commonsense gun legislation,” wrote Lightfoot. “Keep our name out of your mouth.”
The Chicago mayor wasn’t quite done with Cruz quite yet. She continued, “When Ted Cruz and the GOP dismiss common sense gun policies, they disrespect victims and their families, who deserve to live without pain and fear.”
When @tedcruz and the @gop dismiss common sense gun policies, they disrespect victims and their families, who deserve to live without pain and fear.
— Lori Lightfoot (@LightfootForChi) September 3, 2019
Lightfoot has a similar response when Ivanka Trump attempted to reference Chicago gun violence in August. She wrote, “It’s misleading. It’s important when we’re talking about people’s lives to actually get the facts correct, which one can easily do if you actually cared about getting it right.”