Chicago's public transportation isn't just a "gun-free zone." Weapons of any type are prohibited in the city's buses and trains, though the edict is violated on a regular basis by violent criminals. That includes a 56-year-old man who's now facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery after repeatedly stabbing a Good Samaritan in a Blue Line station earlier this year.
As CWB Chicago reports, a security guard at a nearby gas station spotted Shawn Jackson allegedly shoplifting items and confronted him. A fight ensued, and Jackson pulled a knife on the guard before taking off running. The guard grabbed a baseball bat and chased after him. The Good Samaritan, who was friends with the guard, happened to be on his way to the station when he saw the two men and joined in the chase.
Surveillance video from the CTA station allegedly showed Jackson entering with the knife still drawn, followed by the guard and the victim. Inside, an unidentified person jumped onto the guard’s back, took his bat and ran away, prosecutors said.
As the guard turned to protect himself from the man who took his bat, Jackson allegedly stabbed the victim in the right side and near his left eye. When the victim backed away, Jackson stabbed him a third time, slashing his left eye, prosecutors said.
Jackson then fled the station.
According to CWB, the victim has been left nearly blinded by the attack. Prosecutors were in court last week seeking to keep Jackson detained until trial, and a Cook County judge granted their request.
Lawful concealed carry is prohibited on Chicago Transit Authority property, and any concealed carry holder who doesn't own their own car is similarly prohibited from bearing arms in rideshare services like Uber and Lyft. Drivers for those companies are also prohibited from carrying under company policy, which makes them inviting targets for violent criminals. Early Sunday morning, one Uber driver was allegedly shot by a passenger in an attempted robbery.
While officers spoke with the driver at the hospital, another woman called 911 and asked to remain anonymous. She said she had been sharing the Uber with a 16-year-old boy who pulled a gun on the driver, according to Chicago police dispatch audio. The woman told a 911 call taker that she fled the vehicle after the gun was drawn. As she ran from the scene, two armed men emerged from nearby bushes and robbed her of a bag and work-related items, according to the dispatch audio. She declined to identify herself or file a police report, according to the dispatch audio.
That's a pretty crazy series of events, but it does demonstrate one of the biggest problems with both Uber's policy and the Illinois law prohibiting lawful carry on public transit. These "gun-free zones" don't just disarm lawful gun owners while they're in them, but before and after they arrive and leave as well.
If someone depends on public transit (or a service like Uber) to get around the city, then they're either going to be disarmed throughout the course of their day or they're going to have to violate state law or company policy by carrying where it's not allowed.
The Supreme Court will have a chance to fix this issue if it grants cert to Novotny v. Moore, which is currently scheduled to be discussed in conference this Friday. The lawsuit challenges several of Maryland's "gun-free zones," including public transportation, and if the Court grants cert and overturns the ban then millions of Americans who rely on public transportation could soon be able to lawfully carry for self-defense throughout the course of their day... or at least before, after, and during their rides.