Chicago homicide rate doubles in a year

95 people have been killed in Chicago since 1 January, compared to 47 in the same time period last year

A young boy attends a Chicago gun violence protest in December 2015 (Getty)

The number of homicides in Chicago so far this year has doubled compared to the same period in 2015, it has been reported.

According to the Chicago Tribune, 95 people have been killed so far in 2016, compared to 47 last year.

The figures were bolstered by four homicides that took place in Chicago last weekend, as well as two that followed on Monday.

The number of shootings in the city, fatal and non-fatal, has also more than doubled, with 420 so far this year, compared to last year’s 193.

Thirty two people were shot in Chicago last weekend, including a three-year-old boy who was allegedly hit by a stray bullet during a gang fight. The boy remains in hospital and his condition has been stabilised. No one has been reported in custody.

Buying a gun in Illinois requires a state issued permit, though you do not have to register your gun with the state.

The permit will not be issued to anyone who has committed a felony, an assault or an act of domestic violence. Citizens with serious mental health conditions or mental disabilities are also prevented from acquiring a permit.

Gun Violence Archive has recorded 6,997 gun violence incidents in the US so far in this year.