Let’s just outlaw shooting people — oh, wait…
Posted by Richard on June 25, 2008
In the past six months or so, there have been several shootings and a stabbing in Denver's LoDo (Lower Downtown) neighborhood. Most, if not all, occurred around 2 AM when the trendy bars in the area disgorge their inebriated patrons onto the streets. Most, if not all, involved young thugs, festooned with bling and 'tude.
There was another such incident this past weekend, involving thugs wielding a sawed-off shotgun and shooting at someone who dissed them, or looked wrong, or something. Police intervened, killing one and injuring another. There was also an unrelated incident in Curtis Park (gang hotbed) where an 8-year-old was caught in the crossfire from a drive-by.
Mayor John Hickenlooper doesn't like seeing this kind of violence — especially with the DNC coming to town soon and hitting those trendy bars — and wants to do something about.
Does it surprise you to learn that it involves gun laws? It shouldn't — he's apparently a buddy of NYC's Mike Bloomberg and one of the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" (which is really against all guns).
I've got a couple of questions for Mayor Hick: First, do you really think the low-life scum who do this stuff give a rat's ass whether you enact tougher gun laws?
Second, can you identify even one of the perpetrators of these violent acts who was lawfully carrying a legally obtained weapon?
Maybe the knife was legal. But I doubt it.
As of tonight, the Rocky Mountain News has an online poll in the sidebar to this story asking if you'd support stricter gun laws. Go and voice your opinion. Right now, it's 75% against, but only a few people have voted.
bristlecone said
Texas has some pretty liberal concealed carry laws. Even if Colorado implemented equally liberal gun laws, it does not look like they would be helpful in this case. Texas forbids concealed carry of a firearm in any business where >51% of revenue comes from alcohol sales.
I don’t disagree that it’s a naked gun grab, but liberalizing gun laws would not help.
rgcombs said
Colorado gun laws aren’t too bad, but Denver is much more restrictive, and had to be hauled into court to accept the state-wide shall-issue concealed carry reform.
It’s debatable whether relaxing the rules would have much impact at 2 AM around these nightclubs. The folks there who are inclined to go armed already are, law or not, and their motives aren’t the best. I doubt that too many responsible gun owners with CCW permits are hitting these clubs until closing.
But for that reason and others, ”tougher” gun laws will certainly not make things better, and might make them worse. And that was my point.
The people who believe that gang-bangers will be stopped by a new gun control ordinance must think that words in official government documents are magic.
Thanks for dropping by!
Oh, and that online poll is still going on. They’re up to about 1000 votes, and it’s 90% ”’against”’ stricter gun laws. 🙂