Chicago, Illinois isn’t exactly a hotbed of concealed carry, but as of a few years ago there were reported to be about 30,000 active carry permits in Cook County, so despite the best efforts by city and state officials to chill the exercise of our right to keep and bear arms there are still tens of thousands of residents who’ve jumped through all of the hoops and hurdles placed in their way.

According to officials, at least two of them used their lawfully-possessed firearms to protect themselves and others on Wednesday, though it appears that in one of those cases a carry license was unnecessary.

A person is in custody after breaking into a home and getting shot by a 61-year-old woman Wednesday morning in the Brainerd neighborhood.

Around 5:35 a.m., a male broke into a residence in the 9400 block of South Justine Avenue and was confronted by a 21-year-old woman, according to police.

A fight ensued and a 61-year-old woman, who is a valid FOID and concealed carry license holder started shooting at the intruder, striking him in the back, police said.

You don’t need a carry license to keep a gun in your home in Chicago though you are required to possess a valid Firearms Owner ID card. Authorities haven’t released many details in this case, though they do say that they believe the incident was domestic related.

Just a few hours earlier and a couple of miles away, police say another concealed carry holder was able to defend himself and some friends when an armed robber tried to hold them up at gunpoint.

According to initial information provided by the three male victims, an armed man wearing a ski mask confronted them and announced a robbery around 3:33 a.m. One of the victims, who is licensed to carry a concealed firearm, fired shots at the masked man, striking him in the chest and grazing his head.

After being shot, the man ran into a nearby alley. Police found him in the 2600 block of West Rosemont and brought EMS to treat his injuries. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition.

Again, not a lot of information, though CWB Chicago reports that police found a handgun in a trashcan in the alley where the would-be robber had fled. We also know that none of the three men who were the suspect’s intended victims were injured, which might have something to do with the fact that they were able to fight back.

According to CWB Chicago robberies are up 14% in the city compared to last year, and are the highest they’ve been in the past four years. It’s clear that the city and state’s anti-gun laws aren’t doing anything to prevent violent criminals from carrying out their plans. Instead, they’re preventing at least some responsible residents from lawfully exercising their right to defend themselves with a firearm. Thirteen years after the city’s ban on handguns was struck down there are still no gun stores or ranges inside the Chicago city limits where folks can receive the training mandated by the state before they can apply for a carry license, which is helping to keep both the number of concealed carry holders artificially depressed and the number of criminals unafraid of their intended targets higher than it should be. Armed citizens save lives, but the anti-2A politicians in charge of the city apparently prefer unarmed victims instead.