Buying a gun as easy as 'getting candy'

Stacy Liberty was still grieving the death of her brother, who was stabbed violently on the street, when her 24-year-old son was murdered.

There are many reasons why these neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side are now some of the most dangerous in America, according to families that live here. Guns are easier to get than candy, one resident says.

But there's another big reason that residents tout: Opportunity.

"They took every program that you can get a job at out of the school," explains one local, who says kids don't learn skills that could lead to jobs, like carpentry or plumbing. "And then the teachers there don't want to teach because they're scared. Then you've got these kids who come out here, they've got nothing to do."

Putzel spent months in Chicago for a four-part series on the city's gang violence, trying to understand each side: the police, the advocates, the churches, the schools, the families, and the gang members themselves.

"I’ve covered stories in war zones and places where people were desperate for food and life itself," Putzel said, "but I never felt the same level of intensity on the streets as I did when I started reporting on the south and west sides of Chicago."

Watch the fourth and final installment of Putzel's special report tonight at 9 ET/6 PT, then afterwards hop online to watch a live Google+ Hangout at 10.15 p.m. ET with Putzel, and some of the characters from the series. RSVP here and tweet your questions to @AmericaTonight.