Yeah that's been made abundantly clear to me by several commenters. That said, it is still significantly easier to get a gun in the US, legally or illegally, than it is in most other advanced economies. Nonetheless I've made note of my misunderstanding in an edit to my original comment. Mea culpa.

TIL, thanks for the information

This publication is specifically focused on the crime beat here in Chicago so there's definitely some bias at play. I mentioned in another comment response that the lack of cops isn't really the main cause of the violence as much as Chicago's history of corruption, segregationist urban planning, the decline in the city's manufacturing base over the last half century, and Chicago's role as a logistics hub making it an important link in large drug distribution chains. That said, there is definitely some oniony irony at play here, and in the short term broadcasting that you want fewer cops before taking meaningful action against the broader systemic issues might not be the best idea necessarily.

Chicago's 25th ward, home to the Alderman in the story, is only about a 30 minute drive from the Indiana State border. While Chicago and Illinois has relatively sane gun laws, Indiana has extremely lax laws and there's not really anything Chicago/Illinois residents can do about that. Add in a history of corruption, segregationist urban planning, a decline in the city's manufacturing base, and 2 drug epidemics in a generation and you have a perfect recipe for violence.

EDIT: I did not know you couldn't legally purchase guns across state lines.

I just want to see meaningful oversight, reform, accountability, and improved standards and training. I'd honestly be happy at that point if they expanded the police force, but until then I'll continue saying "oink oink" anytime I drive past the boys in blue.