CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

A particularly violent weekend along Chicago's Magnificent Mile should have holiday shoppers thinking twice about risking their safety just to cruise the tony shops and eateries lining North Michigan Avenue.

On Saturday night, a suburban doctor visiting the city with his family was stabbed and seriously injured in the bathroom of an upscale Magnificent Mile hotel. As is so often the case in Cook County, the alleged perpetrator is a recent parolee with a long history of violent crime.

Violence struck the Magnificent Mile once again Sunday evening when suspected shoplifters attempted to run down a Chicago Police officer with their getaway car. The police officer drew his weapon and fired at the fleeing suspects. All of this took place at one of the busiest intersections on the Magnificent Mile.

"The ISRA has been warning citizens for a couple of years that the Gold Coast area is not safe," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "In the summer it is flash mobs that terrorize visitors to the Magnificent Mile and now it appears that the hooliganism has extended its reach into the holiday shopping season. Quite frankly, I am not surprised since shoppers in that area are generally perceived as belonging to the 'one percent' who were unfairly vilified during the recent presidential campaign."

"This weekend's events are more proof that the mayor has lost control of his city," continued Pearson. "I found it amazing that the mayor could dismiss Saturday's stabbing as a mere '...stabbing in a hotel bathroom,' while outside the hotel, a million people were in the street watching the holiday lights being switched on. I'm certain that the victim and his family understand the significance of what happened in that hotel bathroom."

"Sadly, the doctor stabbed on Saturday night was left defenseless by Governor Quinn and Speaker Madigan," said Pearson. "In 49 other states, the victim would have at least had the option to carry a defensive firearm. Here in Illinois, the Governor and the leadership of the Illinois General Assembly persist in denying the good citizens of Illinois the right to defend themselves against robbers, rapists, muggers and murderers. This incident points again to the urgent need for Illinois to join the rest of the nation in allowing its citizens to decide how to best protect themselves and their families from the violent criminals who roam our street."

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

WEB SITE: http://www.isra.org

SOURCE Illinois State Rifle Association