 It is becoming extremely difficult to distinguish some parts of American cities from overseas war zones as the number of people cut down by gunfire in these cities continues to climb. Over the recent Memorial Day holiday, for example, nine people were killed and scores more were wounded in what became part of the deadliest month for the violent city of Baltimore in some 15 years. In Chicago, meanwhile, 12 people were killed and 43 wounded in various shooting incidents; among the dead was a four-year-old girl. In New York City, where crime had fallen dramatically under recent administrations, residents of Manhattan are now 45 percent more likely to be killed under the current administration of socialist Mayor Bill DeBlasio. Fewer guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens leads to more crime As reported by The New York Post on May 26: Sixteen people were killed around the borough between the first of the year and Sunday. Over the same period last year, the figure was 11. That's an increase of about 45 percent. Shootings in the borough have also soared. There have been 50 'shooting incidents' since Jan. 1, compared with 31 in the same time period in 2014 an increase of about 38 percent. Some of these 'incidents' involved more than one victim. The number of shooting victims nearly doubled, from 33 to 61. What are some common elements in all of these cases? Is it because there aren't enough police on the streets? Is it because a culture of violence exists among inner-city youth? Is it because of liberal public policies that promote dependence, penalize two-parent families, and minimize the importance of personal responsibility? All of this is true, but one glaring point needs to be made regarding violence in these cities and all other American cities around the country: despite the Second Amendment's clear language acknowledging our right to keep and bear arms, the cities with the most violence are those with strict gun control laws that essentially prohibit residents from defending themselves adequately. Some people will be tempted to counter by arguing that putting more firearms into cities with too much gun violence already is lunacy. However, that position, as always, ignores some realities, namely that gun control laws are obviously not working, efforts to keep guns out of the hands of those who are not legally permitted to own them are failing, and law-abiding people are being made more vulnerable for no good reason. Murder capitals do not become murder capitals by accident. They are generally the result of a combination of factors including public policy, political ideology and socioeconomic conditions. Doing the same things over and over again Consider the three cities mentioned above and the point will be proven. In the case of Baltimore, the dramatic rise in violence comes after an incident in which local police have already been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion for the alleged murder of a crime suspect, Freddie Gray. Following the indictment of six officers in what many view as a politically motivated effort because it was handed down before all of the evidence was thoroughly examined by a grand jury, police decided to back off and make fewer arrests out of fear of persecution. This resulted in an instant crime wave. In the case of Chicago, parts of that city's South Side have been a war zone for years now. The administration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel has done nothing to improve conditions; the murder rate in 2014 skyrocketed to the highest levels since 1965 . No major policy changes mean nothing changes on the street, either. In New York, by comparison, some direct policy changes initiated by de Blasio are being directly linked to the increase in murder and violent crime. Upon entering office, de Blasio all but ended 'stop and frisk' procedures, which former NYPD chiefs have praised as both legal and necessary. The proof, they say, is in NYC's dramatic drop in violent crime between 1970 and his election just a few years ago. A lack of political will, the tendency to double down on progressive policies that only deepen the problem, and the insistence on preventing law-abiding Americans from being victimized will only make America's war zones even more deadly. Sources: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com http://www.washingtonpost.com http://baltimore.cbslocal.com http://nypost.com http://www.dailykos.com 