Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has publicly argued that a large portion of the city’s gun violence is driven by firearms trafficked from “red states” with more permissive gun laws. He asserts that many of the weapons confiscated in Chicago are not manufactured locally and instead come from neighboring states like Indiana, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He has emphasized that for every illegal gun removed from the streets, “two or three more” enter the city illegally.

Johnson frames this as a federal issue: he says local efforts—such as more detectives, violence‑intervention programs, or arrest strategies—cannot fully succeed unless the federal government curtails the interstate flow of weapons. At the same time, he has criticized proposals to “occupy” the city with federal or National Guard forces, arguing such interventions won’t solve the root problem. causes such as gang networks, systemic inequality, policing policies, and community disinvestment. They contend that blaming other states can deflect accountability and oversimplify a multifaceted problem.