You would think in a leftist city like Chicago where gun control policies are all the rage, gun violence would be, well... lower, right?

Yet, here we are...

Violence is occurring at levels unseen for years. In the first quarter of 2016, 141 people were killed, up from 82 last year, according to police department data. The number of shootings surged to 677 from 359 a year earlier. The city is on track to have more than 500 killings this year, which would make this just the third year since 2004 that Chicago topped that figure.

Johnson said Friday that the department “will remain tireless in its efforts to hold criminals accountable for their actions.” The department says most of the increase in violence stems from gang members using illegally acquired guns and is largely geographically clustered around the city’s southern and western portions. (The city has also reported spikes in other crime categories across the board, including sexual assaults, robberies, batteries and thefts.)

This year is on track to far outpace the city’s number of killings in 2015, which is a particularly worrisome fact considering that Chicago had more murders that year than any other city in the United States, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Alright, now before the leftists spam the comments section with "OMG SEE, CHICAGO ALLOWS CITIZENS GUNS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND PEOPLE GET KILLED!" allow me to highlight something from the previous paragraph. Something that one could argue, is quite pivotal.

The department says most of the increase in violence stems from gang members using illegally acquired guns and is largely geographically clustered around the city’s southern and western portions

Crazy, I know. Little known fact: even though Chicago technically allows legal "concealed carry" now, they still have some of the most ridiculous, stringent gun laws in the country. Furthermore, they've had all but a complete ban on handgun ownership for residents for nearly two decades.

So obviously exhibit A) would be the mere fact that the report clearly stated, the crime has nothing to do with legal gun ownership in Chicago. But for those who will argue that it is, allow me to explain to point out to you just how hard it is to legally acquire a hand-gun for protection in the Windy City.

• First, there are no, I repeat zero, gun stores in Chicago.
• It is illegal for Illinois Residents to purchase a hand-gun out of state.
• Despite the above two facts, Chicago's police department seizes more illegal guns than any other in the nation.
• Chicago has consistently seen some of the highest crime and murder rates in the country. It is expected to move up the list by a substantial margin in 2016.

Also, it's important to note that Chicago, far from a bastion of pro-gun Conservatism has been under the authority of exclusively far-left, Democratic mayors since 1933.

I stress these things because I know the leftist blogosphere will inevitably twist themselves into knots trying to tie story this to law-abiding, gun-owning citizens. There is simply no way to truthfully make that argument.

Just like when Barack Obama tried to claim that a majority of Chicago gun crime was occurring from "gun show loopholes" in Indiana. Guess what? I put his words to the test and took a hidden camera with me. Watch the video below.