Baltimore Sun: Arrests in Baltimore for Illegal Guns Often Lead to Dropped Charges or Little Jail Time

Earlier this week, the Baltimore Sun had this article titled "Arrests in Baltimore for illegal guns often lead to dropped charges or little jail time."

About one-quarter of such gun cases are dropped before defendants go to trial, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis. Even when convicted of illegally possessing a firearm, prosecutors say, defendants are sentenced on average to 16 months in jail, with a substantial portion of their sentences suspended.

At the same time, police data show that fewer people arrested with illegal guns are ordered held without bail.

The police commissioner told the Sun "There's no certainty of a consequence."  Gun control advocate Daniel Webster, a Johns Hopkins University professor with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the Sun "not everyone deserves lengthy prison time."  It's nice to know that at the same time Webster is pushing out data he claims shows more guns equal more crime, that he thinks some criminals that use guns in crime don't deserve lengthy jail sentences.

As Crime Rises, Criminal With 55 Counts Gets Probation in Milwaulkee

In cities like Washington DC, Chicago, New York, and others, violent crime has been on the rise this summer.  Recently in Milwaukee, one criminal was sentenced to probation at the time he was charged with over 50 felonies.  While sentencing the man who had 55 counts of illegal gun purchase and sale charges, U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Randa, said, “People kill people, guns don’t kill people.” The perp got one year of probation.  Most crime is committed by repeat offenders.  I wonder when this guy will become part of that statistic.

On Friday, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke shared his thoughts on the story with NRANews host Cam Edwards, saying that we don’t need more gun laws, we need to do a better job of enforcing the laws we have. 

Menino Can't Enforce the Gun Laws He Has

This isn't Virginia related but it is worth noting because former WRVA (Richmond) radio talk show host Michael Graham has a good Op/Ed in the Boston Herald that demonstrates the hollowness of the "blame guns" crowd.

Here is the story. Three years ago, 8-year-old Liquarry Jefferson was shot and killed by his 7-year-old cousin in Dorchester, Massachusetts. After the incident, Boston Mayor Tom Menino said the incident was the fault of the NRA, because it opposed tougher gun control laws. Never mind that the two boys and Liquarry’s 2-year-old half-sister were upstairs playing with a pistol - unattended - at 11 p.m.

The city ended up charging Liquarry’s mom, Lakeisha Gadson, of recklessly causing the death of her 8-year-old son, by letting an older son stash a loaded gun in their apartment. A jury acquitted her this week of every charge except of misleading the police after the fact, by lying about the circumstances of the shooting.


Graham writes:

Yes, it’s true that Gadson suffered a tragic loss in the death of her son. It’s also true that his death would never have happened without her negligent - in my opinion, criminally negligent - behavior. Justice demands that she be held accountable.

Menino and his best bud Michael Bloomberg are always calling for more gun control laws but the truth is, Menino can't enforce the laws he has. The gun used in this tragic incident was illegally brought into the home by a teen who already had a charge for illegal possession of a firearm.