{"id":28626,"date":"2022-02-10T10:41:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T10:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=28626"},"modified":"2022-02-10T10:41:02","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T10:41:02","slug":"will-cracking-down-on-illegal-guns-reduce-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/10\/will-cracking-down-on-illegal-guns-reduce-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Will cracking down on illegal guns reduce crime?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Last year, Philadelphia police arrested thousands of people for carrying illegal guns, a record number<\/a>. Yet, less than half are convicted.<\/p>\n

There are many forms of illegal gun possession: You can\u2019t carry a gun if you\u2019ve been convicted of certain previous crimes<\/a>, or conceal or transport a gun without a license<\/a>. In Pennsylvania, you can carry a gun without a permit, as long as it is visible. But within the city limits, you must have a license to carry any gun<\/a>, even if it\u2019s in plain sight.<\/p>\n

Recently, the District Attorney\u2019s Office said it didn\u2019t believe that pursuing charges of illegal gun possession would reduce shootings<\/a>. We asked two local experts: Will cracking down on illegal guns reduce crime?<\/b><\/p>\n

By Joe Stine<\/i><\/p>\n

The District Attorney\u2019s Office recently stated that: \u201cWe do not believe that arresting people and convicting them for illegal gun possession is a viable strategy to reduce shootings.\u201d Instead, it says that the focus should be on solving shootings after they happen.<\/p>\n

As a former Philadelphia police officer, I heartily disagree.<\/p>\n

During my 25 years on the force, I saw firsthand what can happen when people carry illegal weapons. The first homicide I responded to as a sergeant still haunts me.<\/p>\n

It was at a bar, where two men had been sitting apart but facing each other for three hours. They never spoke a word to each other or came in physical contact. But one was carrying an illegal gun and didn\u2019t like the way the other was looking at him. So he got up, walked over to the other man, and shot him in the head.<\/p>\n

It turns out the victim had been squinting at him because earlier that day, another man with an illegal gun had pistol-whipped him during an armed robbery and broken his glasses.<\/p>\n

Had the men carrying these illegal guns been arrested, the victim would be alive and a murderer would not be spending his life in jail.<\/p>\n

Throughout my career, I responded to multiple crimes like this. Many lives would have been saved had people carrying illegal guns been arrested before they commit worse crimes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMany lives would have been saved had people carrying illegal guns been arrested before they commit worse crimes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n