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The Politics Behind Baltimore Gun Violence


The Politics Behind Baltimore Gun Violence (WBFF)
The Politics Behind Baltimore Gun Violence (WBFF)
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BALTIMORE (WBFF)-- An Operation: Crime & Justice investigation found in the past two decades Baltimore City leaders doing little legislatively to address gun violence.

We searched through two decades of ordinances that City Council members enacted. Out of the hundreds of records, we found three.

This discovery comes as candidates are joining the race to become the next Mayor of Baltimore.

The most recent of the three local laws went before City Council in 2017. The measure included a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail, if caught illegally carrying a handgun in certain areas of the City. The ordinance narrowly passed. We talked with Council President Brandon Scott whether members of City Council could do more than blame the Baltimore Police Department for the level of gun violence in the City. Scott said,

"No one has ever pointed the finger at the police department. It's about accountability. No one is blaming them. It's about having the right people in leadership."

When asked why efforts pursued by local politicians have not led to a drop in crime, Scott replied, "The police department responds to one person in Baltimore City and that's the Mayor of Baltimore City. I'm not Mayor, so they don't have to do what I say. Scott did head the Public Safety Committee prior to becoming Council President.

A former police commander says research shows addressing gun violence requires a punishment that is consistent. Jason Johnson wrote an op-ed that addressed the issue. Johnson says, "The message on the street is there's no accountability. You can carry a firearm, you can shoot a person, commit a homicide, a non-fatal shooting, carjacking, or a robbery and there is no consequence."

Eighty-five percent of the homicides committed in Baltimore since 2014 involved a victim who had been fatally shot.

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