A Chicago politician and community group are so desperate to stem gun violence in the Windy City they’ve come up with a plan that sounds like it was inspired by “The Purge” — begging people to simply not fire their weapons for 12 hours a day,
Alderwoman Maria Hadden shared in a recent newsletter a proposal by the group Native Sons, which urges Chicagoans to hold off on shooting their firearms from the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. when people are more at risk of getting caught in the middle of the crossfire.
“Protect the youth no sliding while the sun is out,” reads a flier for the proposal, known as “The People’s Ordinance.” The promo also includes an image of a white picket fence dappled with colorful clouds and a plea: “Don’t shoot! I want to grow up.”
“We have to start somewhere,” Tatiana Atkins, co-founder of Native Sons, told local outlet CWBChicago.
“Our goal is to approach our city’s gun violence problem strategically and not all at once. Things didn’t become this way overnight, and change won’t happen overnight.”
In addition to the daylight ceasefire, as part of the ordinance, residents are also asked not to associate with or glorify shooters, nor wear ski masks.
“When those who live a certain lifestyle try to hang with ‘regular’ class citizens, they put everyone at risk,” Atkins said.
Critics note the idea bears a disturbing similarity to the plot of the 2013 movie, “The Purge,” in which all crime, including murder, is legal for one night a year.
Despite the group’s proposal being labeled as an “ordinance” and receiving Hadden’s support, no formal legislation has been put forward to ramp up penalties for individuals firing guns during a theoretical 12-hour armistice.
Atkins, however, said social media and news coverage would carry her group’s movement to tamp down gun violence.
“We are not waiting for a bill or law to enforce what we feel needs to be done,” she said.
The group’s longshot request comes just months after progressive Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson succeeded Lori Lightfoot in office, tasked with the herculean challenge of putting a dent in the city’s spiraling crime crisis.
The total number of crimes so far this year jumped 34% compared to the same time period in 2022, although shootings have declined by 10%.
Last weekend, 23 people were shot across the city, four fatally; the prior weekend, an 8-year-old girl was among seven killed by gunfire.
