It's Not the Laws

It's the judges. Chicago's Police Commissioner scoffs at the anti-gun laws that are on the books, supposed to be the tightest in the nation. But laws are no good if you don't enforce them, He says that, for the first six months after a new law is passed, you will have a hard time finding a gun on the streets (which doesn't mean they aren't there, only that they're harder to find). Then, after a few months of the cops treating them like bargaining chips to get convictions in other crimes, and judges routinely reducing them to misdemeanors, the word goes out. Those laws don't mean anything, so you can bring your guns out again and kill more people. Maybe that's the secret of why Chicago, with some of the toughest gun laws in the country, are also the city with some of the highest "gun crime" numbers. Criminals will IGNORE laws if they aren't firmly enforced. Cops using them as bargaining chips is simply lax law enforcement. There are other ways to get convictions in other crimes. Judges routinely reducing them to misdemeanors is a crime, in itself. If this is happening in Chicago, it's happening in other cities. It's time to find out, and make some changes. (Washington Post)