There were more than 60 shootings and at least nine deaths from gunfire in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend. Clearly, something needs to be done – and the normal calls for gun control aren’t it. Demanding tighter gun control may make those calling for controls feel good, like they have done something, but they aren’t going to happen. Whether the proponents of more gun control are willing to admit it or not, more gun control isn’t going to happen without a constitutional amendment or a change in the Supreme Court, neither of which is going to happen anytime soon.
Therefore, we need to figure out how to cut gun violence without more gun control. And the fact we know how to do it. New York City under Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg did it with stop-and-frisk policies. Gun deaths were cut dramatically. In 2012 New York City had fewer homicides than Chicago even though New York had three times more people than Chicago. But stop-and-frisk violates the rights of people, some on the left will say.
I don’t think it does, but in any case, what violates people’s rights more? Deaths from gunfire; being held prisoner in one’s home because of guns and gang violence; or stop-and-frisk as implemented in New York City?
We know how to cut gun violence under the laws and Constitution we have. It’s just a matter of whether people want to.
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