In the first three months of this year, 97 people were killed in the city of Chicago. That’s on pace with the same numbers last year. Of course, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson doesn’t take the blame for that. He believes he's doing his best, because he believes one killing is one too many. That’s why he says we need more “safe spaces for young people.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson believes the solution to teenagers murdering people in his city is making more "safe spaces for youth."
— MRC Video (@mrcvideo) April 22, 2026
How about you start charging them as adults and see if that corrects their behavior?pic.twitter.com/Ust11WsR4O
Keep in mind, Chicago already has some of the most restrictive gun control laws and regulations on the books, and still its gun crime rates are off the charts. It’s almost like criminals don’t care that it’s illegal to use guns to commit crime.
But if you’re a law-abiding gun owner, in Chicago you need something called a Firearm Owner’s Identification card (FOID) to own a gun or ammunition, and you need to pass a background check to get a card. For conceal carry, you have to be over 21 and go through 16 hours of training. Open carry is banned. And if you have a handgun with a magazine that can hold more than 15 rounds, it’s illegal in Illinois.
Still, speaking of those “safe spaces” Johnson mentioned, the good mayor is leaving nothing to chance when it comes to himself. Sure, his policies and lax commitment to fighting violent crime is a problem, but it’s one he obviously feels he needs to be protected from. So, instead of taking steps to protect everyone in Chicago, his focus seems to be on protecting himself.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson believes the solution to teenagers murdering people in his city is making more "safe spaces for youth."
— MRC Video (@mrcvideo) April 22, 2026
How about you start charging them as adults and see if that corrects their behavior?pic.twitter.com/Ust11WsR4O
The Firearm Industry Trade Association (FITA) took a closer look at just how Johnson is doing just that.
“Reports now circulating in Chicago political media and on social media reveal Mayor Johnson’s personal armed security detail includes as many as 150 Chicago Police Department officers at a cost to taxpayers of roughly $30 million a year,” wrote FITA.
Imagine surrounding yourself with 150, taxpayer-paid, armed, police officers, all for own protection, while denying the average Chicago resident the chance to defend himself with a gun in one fraction of the manner in which you are protected.
“Mayor Johnson has backed some of Illinois’ most restrictive firearm policies,” wrote FITA. “After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2023 reversed a lower court’s preliminary injunction against Illinois’ ban on so-called ‘assault-style weapons’…as well as state’s magazine restrictions, Mayor Johnson praised the ruling and called the law an ‘important step’ that would keep ‘weapons of war’ out of neighborhoods.”
In other words, Johnson will spare no expense, and he really doesn’t care what you think, if it means protecting himself from his own policies.
At the end of the day, the mayor of a city the size of Chicago does need protection, especially in the world in which we live. But how can you be that mayor and look around you and see all the guns in your very presence 24/7, and then turn around and work to deny your citizens adequate opportunities to protect themselves from things like this?
NEW: Chicago "teens" ambush a man in a parked vehicle in a shooting with nearly 40 seconds of continuous gunfire
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) April 10, 2026
Chicago police say a 31-year-old man was sitting in a parked vehicle when two cars, a light blue sedan and a red sedan, pulled up alongside him
Occupants from both… pic.twitter.com/rTJwAeZzjx
And this.
Fulton Market shooting at 7am… Chicago’s gonna Chicago 🤦🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/BNLa2QYNwF
— Nick Wojcicki (@nickwoj98) April 12, 2026
And this.
Chicago teens are going viral after appearing on video with semi automatic weapons and pistols with extended magazines announcing: “We run this city”
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 22, 2026
Chicago records shows at least 1,847 shooting victims in 2025. pic.twitter.com/JDBCS4BPUm
Maybe all they need is some more safe spaces and a hug, as the mayor says they do. Maybe they need to talk to a social worker or two. Until then, one thing you don’t have to worry about is whether the mayor is protected and safe. With 150 police members in his security detail, he’s just fine. But if you live in Chicago, you’re on your own.
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