Congressman -- not candidate, in this story -- Chaka Fattah has launched an hotline for tips on illegal guns. And the program, through the Citizens Crime Commission, offers rewards of $1,000 for tips that lead to seizure of guns and arrests of the person who has them.
That number, boys and girls: 215-546-TIPS. It's 24/7.
That reward is more than the usual gun buy-back program (you'll remember that, earlier this year, Fattah launched an effort to trade guns for grocery cards, and the max there was about $400). But the point is not just to get guns off the street but to arrest the person who has them illegally.
Unfortunately, many gun charges do not result in long jail stays.
Still, as Fattah's partner in this effort, state Sen. Vincent Hughes, said, the point is to do what they can, since the state legislature won't strengthen gun laws in the city.