Hows that for a headline,

'Gun control isn't the answer. We already know how to stop the violence'

"The crux of the problem revolves around legislation. As long as Democrats insist that new gun laws and bans are the only way to stop or slow gun violence, the Republicans and most of the American people will stand in their way "

"the fact that gun violence is mostly committed in urban areas by people in demographic groups and living in geographical locations that a large segment of the American people believe are heavily connected to the Democratic Party. "

"but here's the funny thing, in a tragically laughable way of course: we already know how to reduce gun violence and gun crimes because we've already done it many times before"
"
While it's technically true that there are already enough gun laws on the books to put the hammer down on gun violence, most Republicans know all too well that law enforcement all over the country needs a lot more funding and other tools to enforce those laws better."

"It was the increased funding to police departments from his 1994 crime bill that showed real progress. I was on the White House lawn that day in October, 1994 when President Clinton was joined by an army of police chiefs and mayors to announce the $200 million being released to put 100,000 more cops on the streets. "

"But at the end of the Bush years, the focus shifted from gun prosecutions to new regulations. That was probably the result of Republicans losing control of Congress in the 2006 midterms and the Bush domestic agenda was gutted."

"President Obama has sadly continued this trend. Thankfully, violent crime has mostly remained at historic lows. But prosecutions of gun-using criminals has decidedly gone down."

"But there's no denying that maintaining the high number of gun arrests and prosecutions is expensive, and the money available for that kind of law enforcement has indeed become scarcer because of budgetary constraints"

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/29/gun-control-isnt-the-answer-we-already-know-how-to-stop-the-violence-commentary.html?__source=yahoo%7Cfinance%7Cheadline%7Cheadline%7Cstory&par=yahoo&doc=103753749&yptr=yahoo

And as i told Espero instead of making new laws, Enforce the ones we have and crime will go down,

If you really want to see crime rates drop then end the prohibition on illegal drugs. Hiring more cops just makes the problems worse, because all they can do is kill people or beat them up and throw them in jail. They aren't mental health pros, substance abuse counselors, or social workers. Their main interest is raising money so their departments can buy more gear and become more powerful with fewer legal constraints on their actions.

Putting Al Capone in jail didn't end the prohibition violence. Only the end of prohibition busted up the cartels. The real question we should be asking about Chicago is not where they get their guns but why there is so much violence? History repeats itself.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/we-had-nothing-to-lose-how-portugal-solved-its-catastrophic-drug-woes-through-decriminalization

If you really want to see crime rates drop then end the prohibition on illegal drugs. Hiring more cops just makes the problems worse, because all they can do is kill people or beat them up and throw them in jail. They aren't mental health pros, substance abuse counselors, or social workers. Their main interest is raising money so their departments can buy more gear and become more powerful with fewer legal constraints on their actions.

Putting Al Capone in jail didn't end the prohibition violence. Only the end of prohibition busted up the cartels. The real question we should be asking about Chicago is not where they get their guns but why there is so much violence? History repeats itself.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/we-had-nothing-to-lose-how-portugal-solved-its-catastrophic-drug-woes-through-decriminalization

All cops do are kill people, beat them up, or throw them in jail?  You sound very ignorant. I notice my responses continue to be deleted so I'm trying to be as civil as possible. What exactly do you have to back up your statements about cops.

Just watched Westside Story yesterday and in the final scene Maria tells both gangs that they killed Tony and Bernardo, "not with bullets and guns... with hate".  They had it right in 1961.

If you really want to see crime rates drop then end the prohibition on illegal drugs. Hiring more cops just makes the problems worse, because all they can do is kill people or beat them up and throw them in jail. They aren't mental health pros, substance abuse counselors, or social workers. Their main interest is raising money so their departments can buy more gear and become more powerful with fewer legal constraints on their actions.

Cops are mental heath professionals, substance abuse counselors, and social workers. (among many other job descriptions) Not officially or by title but those are functions that police do on a daily basis. You're average beat cop doesn't care about raising money through citations. That is the elected representatives who make laws and set fees.

Cops are mental heath professionals, substance abuse counselors, and social workers. (among many other job descriptions) Not officially or by title but those are functions that police do on a daily basis. You're average beat cop doesn't care about raising money through citations. That is the elected representatives who make laws and set fees.

It's not their job, they aren't trained to do those jobs, and when they interact with the public their primary focus is making collars, meeting quotas, and extracting revenue. You wouldn't send a cop to do an open heart surgery. Why would anyone in their right mind use them for substance abuse or other medical conditions? They just arrest you, throw you I jail so you lose your job, and put a mark on your record so it makes it harder to find work. Basically a life ruined for a medical condition. It's a self sustaining vicious cycle that puts more Americans in prison anywhere else in the world and soaks the taxpayers for the cost.

It's not their job, they aren't trained to do those jobs, and when they interact with the public their primary focus is making collars, meeting quotas, and extracting revenue. You wouldn't send a cop to do an open heart surgery. Why would anyone in their right mind use them for substance abuse or other medical conditions? They just arrest you, throw you I jail so you lose your job, and put a mark on your record so it makes it harder to find work. Basically a life ruined for a medical condition. It's a self sustaining vicious cycle that puts more Americans in prison anywhere else in the world and soaks the taxpayers for the cost.

You're right, they aren't trained to do those jobs, but they are confronted with those situations and it becomes their job. When a tree falls in the road does the cop wait 2 hours for a road crew or does he cut it up and pull it off the road even though "it isn't his job" and he isn't trained to do it. When a cop meets someone threatening suicide, does he say "brah, no kill yourself, I don't want to type a report" or does he become a counselor and connect with the person to try and save their life? Does the cop let a car crash victim burn alive in their car because fire fighting isn't their job? Cops perform dozens of job types and have to do so without "training." They also have to do it under pressure and within a limited amount of time all the while risking a large amount of liability. 

Most cops don't care about quotas or extracting revenue. You seem to have a lot of misconceptions of police officers. How about you contact your local police department and ask to do a ride along.

You're right, they aren't trained to do those jobs, but they are confronted with those situations and it becomes their job. When a tree falls in the road does the cop wait 2 hours for a road crew or does he cut it up and pull it off the road even though "it isn't his job" and he isn't trained to do it. When a cop meets someone threatening suicide, does he say "brah, no kill yourself, I don't want to type a report" or does he become a counselor and connect with the person to try and save their life? Does the cop let a car crash victim burn alive in their car because fire fighting isn't their job? Cops perform dozens of job types and have to do so without "training." They also have to do it under pressure and within a limited amount of time all the while risking a large amount of liability. 

Most cops don't care about quotas or extracting revenue. You seem to have a lot of misconceptions of police officers. How about you contact your local police department and ask to do a ride along.

Cops are trained to be hammers, and as such, every situation becomes a nail to them.  Deadly force is their go-to solution when someone is noncompliant.  There's no dispute about that.  If the situation involves hostages or a barricade, THEN they call the people trained to deal with mentally ill or desperate people.  Without the training, they are nothing more than citation issuers and compliance officers.

By the way, have YOU ever done a real life ride along with police?  If so, tell us about it.  I want to see if I can find the same COPS YouTube video you will use ....

Cops are trained to be hammers, and as such, every situation becomes a nail to them.  Deadly force is their go-to solution when someone is noncompliant.  There's no dispute about that.  If the situation involves hostages or a barricade, THEN they call the people trained to deal with mentally ill or desperate people.  Without the training, they are nothing more than citation issuers and compliance officers.

By the way, have YOU ever done a real life ride along with police?  If so, tell us about it.  I want to see if I can find the same COPS YouTube video you will use ....

I have done 3 or 4 police ride alongs. None were particularly eventful. A car crash, a burglary, a workers strike, an alarm call, a small amount of traffic enforcement.

Yes, cops are often hammers because well they often have to be hammers. Sometimes that translates to them being a hammer at the wrong time but that is not the extent of their training.

So maybe the next time your loved ones get into a car accident and their car is on fire you will be ok with them standing back as long as they point out that they aren't trained fire fighters?

I have done 3 or 4 police ride alongs. None were particularly eventful. A car crash, a burglary, a workers strike, an alarm call, a small amount of traffic enforcement.

Yes, cops are often hammers because well they often have to be hammers. Sometimes that translates to them being a hammer at the wrong time but that is not the extent of their training.

So maybe the next time your loved ones get into a car accident and their car is on fire you will be ok with them standing back as long as they point out that they aren't trained fire fighters?

I watched a guy burn to death on Meheula Pkwy while 3 cops stood around watching and waiting for EMT.  Once the car erupted into  flames, the guy was not going to make it, because the cops did nothing.  I don't know what they were thinking, but I imagine they didn't want to risk moving an injured driver. 

If one cop had tried to get to the driver, maybe it was too late, or maybe not.  All I do know is, there were cops on the scene immediately because THEY HAD BEEN CHASING THE DRIVER, but they let him cook.

I watched a guy burn to death on Meheula Pkwy while 3 cops stood around watching and waiting for EMT.  Once the car erupted into  flames, the guy was not going to make it, because the cops did nothing.  I don't know what they were thinking, but I imagine they didn't want to risk moving an injured driver. 

If one cop had tried to get to the driver, maybe it was too late, or maybe not.  All I do know is, there were cops on the scene immediately because THEY HAD BEEN CHASING THE DRIVER, but they let him cook.

And? Do you not believe there are cops every day who rescue people from such situations? Or that deal with the mentally ill? Or that perform any number of jobs they were never trained to do but do them anyway because it is the right thing to do?