Illinois State Rifle Association Calls for Firing of @Chicao_Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy

The ISRA is once again calling upon Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fire Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.  This latest call for McCarthy's ouster comes after a mob of young thugs - estimated to be in the hundreds - swarmed the Magnificent Mile shopping district Saturday night and began beating dozens of innocent shoppers.  This latest mob action appears to be the most serious in a string of events over the past two years involving gangs of youths randomly attacking shoppers on North Michigan Avenue.

"Just like dyeing the Chicago River green on St. Patty's Day, cracking tourists' heads on North Michigan Avenue is becoming a Windy City tradition," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson.  "The first warm night of the year, and all hell breaks loose in the city's most tony shopping district.  It should be clear to everybody by now that Supt. McCarthy has lost control of the city.  What are things going to be like when the weather really heats up?  What has to happen before Emanuel wakes up and gives the nod to a more effective top cop?"

"The ISRA has been cautioning folks against making Chicago a leisure time destination for a few years now," continued Pearson.  "Unless you're the kind of person who wants to be terrorized, beaten, raped or robbed, then you should definitely find another place to vacation.  For the law-abiding citizen, Chicago has become just too dangerous to visit."

"While vicious mobs have been busily destroying Chicago's tourism industry, Mayor Emanuel and Supt. McCarthy have been busy as well – vilifying law abiding firearm owners," said Pearson.  "If they spent more time thwarting crime and less time trying to take guns away from hunters and sportsmen, then Chicago might be a better place in which to live and work."

"The sad events of Saturday night will certainly bolster efforts to pass concealed carry legislation down in Springfield," said Pearson.  "Good people have a right to defend themselves against lawless thugs.  I'm positive that the prospect of encountering armed citizens would make such flash mobs vaporize in a hurry."

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership.  For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.