Oh shit you don't own a gun and you're fine? Burn the Constitution, kalingoodman doesn't need his second amendment rights.
I live in the hood. You said it yourself, gangs are the problem. Gangs are armed. They aren't stupid either. They ply their trade where they aren't likely to get any return fire. I live in a complex of about 300 units. I use a walker to get around and I don't get around very fast. I don't get messed with because it's known that I'm armed, and breaking into my house when I'm in it is a death sentence.
Put your thinking cap on for a second. What's more likely for a criminal, working where he knows everyone is disarmed or taking his chances that gramma has a 357 in her purse.
Let's discuss disconnect. The cities you mentioned are run by anti gun democrats. The number one cause if death for black males 18 to 35 is gunfire. Further, black people go to prison at a much higher rate than everyone else because they are scared of the system and overworked public defenders convince them to take shitty plea deals. Which means the average poor black person is more likely to have a felony, which means they can't have a Gun and are more likely to become a victim of crime and violence.
I'm not saying guns are some magic pill that's going to clean up the hood somehow. But it is fact that criminals don't like armed victims, and states with high gun ownership like Florida or Texas don't have the crime rates of say Maryland or Illinois.
I suspect your socio economic standing puts blinders on you. Me, I live at ground zero.