The cold-blooded killing of a Philly cop on Monday got our local leaders chattering about what can be done to slow the never-ending tide of gun violence.
Philly Confidential noticed that as usual, lots of people spoke up, but no one actually proposed new ideas. Earlier in the week, City Managing Director Pedro Ramos echoed the rallying cry of the mayor and the commissioner: Harrisburg needs to do something.
Our gun laws are way, way too lax, Ramos and Street correctly noted. But pols in Harrisburg, sad as they are that a cop was murdered, said no new laws or changes are coming. Least not in this century.
So. Harrisburg sucks. End of story, right? They make the laws, so if they don't change things, what can local guys like Street and Sylvester Johnson do?
The mayor, in his eternal wisdom, said no to a request for $100 million to hire hundreds of more cops. And he's still sticking by that.
If you're keeping score at home, that's two wins for the Tide of Violence. As for our commissioner ... when was the last time he endorsed any new ideas to curb crime?
It seems like Officer Skerski's murder has finally got people pissed and talking about our whole homicide problem. But is it too much to ask for some new ideas or bold stances?
Discuss.
Posted by david at May 12, 2006 11:36 PMHarrisburg and the rest of the nation are wacked when it comes to gun laws. We need strong political leaders--not politicians--who will tell the powerful NRA lobby, among others, to go to hell.
At the same time, the majority of bad guys don't follow the current gun rules. They buy the guns illegally on the street. They steal them from legitimate owners. They trade them for drugs and other goods.
Most importantly, though, we are too lenient on people who use guns to commit crime. If you use a gun to rob a 7-11, you should go away for 20 years at a minimum (first offense). If you use a gun to kill a police officer, you should pay the ultimate price. No exceptions.
Posted by: McGinniss at May 13, 2006 07:45 AMStiffer penalties would be a nice start. We've heard the same complaint dozens of times from cops -- they arrest punks with guns, then find them back on the street in no time at all.
Posted by: david at May 13, 2006 01:34 PMIn a perfect world, stiffer penalities would be the norm. But we don't live in such a place. Wait and see. When the scum who killed Officer Gary Skerski is caught--and he will be--the Mumia supporters will ready at his defense. Pathetic.
Posted by: McGinniss at May 14, 2006 04:03 AM