Trump wants federal help to stop Chicago gun violence. He should consider federal gun control. [View all]

[HAB911]

The past year was very bad for gun violence in Chicago: The city had 762 murders and 4,331 shooting victims in 2016, with homicides increasing by 57 percent over 2015.

Donald Trump apparently wants to do something about it. In a vague tweet sent out earlier this week, the president-elect suggested that Chicago’s mayor should ask for “federal help” to deal with the city’s extraordinary levels of gun violence.

It’s unclear what kind of federal intervention Trump is referring to in his tweet, though his transition team said on a Tuesday press call that it’s open to ideas from the FBI. (In the past, Trump has brought up Chicago’s violence to justify a call for “tough on crime” policing tactics.)

But there is one way Trump could help curb gun violence in Chicago: a federal gun control law.

Trump, of course, is on the record opposing stricter gun control measures, often calling himself “a Second Amendment person.” But if he’s serious about stopping gun violence in Chicago, he should reconsider his stance — because the research shows that stricter gun control measures really do help reduce gun violence.

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/4/14157438/trump-chicago-murder-guns