WAR ON GUNS
In Chicago and nationally, arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration for gun possession offenses are on the rise.
Our analysis is that we are in the midst of a War on Guns , the accelerating criminalization of firearm possession through:
stringent gun laws
increased investments in surveillance technologies
expanded policing
stricter enforcement by prosecutors
Like its predecessor the War on Drugs, the War on Guns disproportionately targets and incarcerates urban communities of color , especially Black people with felony records.
The War on Guns is fueled by bipartisan support as conservative law-and-order policies work in concert with the liberal gun control movement...
And by demonizing rhetoric around so-called "violent criminals" and "shooters" that is used to justify surveillance and incarceration, and to moralize about who is "deserving" of support.
FIREARM HARM REDUCTION
is an antidote to the War on Guns