Black people are overrepresented in gun possession arrests

Black men and women made up a greater percentage of those arrested — when gun possession was the most serious charge — relative to their portion of the city's population and overall arrests.

Arrest records cover 2010 to 2022 and are limited to people age 18 or over. American Indian or Alaska Native people made up less than 0.1% of each category. Asian people made up less than 1% of those arrested for gun possession and of all arrests. About 2% of Chicago’s population consists of people whose race does not correspond to categories tracked in the arrest data.
Source: Gun arrests and all arrests obtained through public records requests, Chicago Police Department; 2020 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau.