Philadelphia Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner’s reaction to the horrific tragedy that unfolded in Philadelphia after a mentally unstable man fired randomly, killing five innocent bystanders, reveals why he’s arguably the country’s most notorious example of a soft-on-crime prosecutor.
Authorities are still gathering facts. That didn’t stop DA Krasner from shamelessly asserting more gun control would have prevented the tragedy and taking political potshots at those who support the Second Amendment.
At least San Francisco voters recalled their infamous district attorney Chesa Boudin for his failures. DA Krasner is still front and center in Philly.
‘I’m Against You’
It’s now known the murderer has severe mental problems. He also has a record of previous criminal charges, including misdemeanor gun charges. He exhibited recent increasingly alarming behavior. Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore reported that seven people who lived with the alleged murderer “witnessed him exhibiting abnormal behavior for quite a while.”
Pennsylvania, according to a Brady gun control report card, already holds a Top 10 spot in America for states with the strictest gun control laws. Philadelphia has even stricter gun control laws. Those didn’t stop DA Krasner from making unfounded political attacks.
“Finally, I just want to say this: it is disgusting, the lack of proper gun legislation that we have in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” DA Krasner said at a press conference immediately following the tragic shootings and before facts were gathered. “It is disgusting that you can go to New Jersey and find a whole list of reasonable gun regulation that we don’t have, that you can go to Delaware, and there’s almost as long a list of reasonable gun legislation that we don’t have.”
He continued. “It is time for everybody and our legislature… it is time for every one of them to face the voters. And if they’re not going to do something, then voters are going to have to vote them out… It means ‘Vote me out. I am against you, and I’m against your safety.’”
Abysmal Public Safety Record
DA Krasner’s posturing is ironic. State legislators – elected by voters – successfully voted to impeach him last year for his abysmal record of keeping the public safe and holding criminals to account for their crimes. The Pennsylvania Senate failed to convict him, which would have required a two-thirds vote.
“One man has put himself above the law and has arbitrarily decided what laws are valid,” said Pennsylvania state Rep. Timothy Bonner. “In Philadelphia, a prosecutor is at the center of the rule of law and protecting the law and enforcing the law in this country.”
State Rep. Martina White agreed, saying that DA Krasner, “has denied that there is even a crisis of crime happening on our streets.”
DA Krasner’s obliviousness to the consequences of his inactions is astounding. He searched out the media lights to cast blame and deny responsibility. Joining PBS Newshour days after the murders, DA Krasner called for more gun control laws and defended his office’s “successful record” of falling conviction rates for gun possession crimes.
“It is more important to go after shooters than to act like anyone who possesses a gun, but failed to get a permit to carry it, is equally dangerous,” he said.
Those comments fly in the face of what Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Steven Dettelbach said at an event to highlight cooperative efforts with NSSF to combat illegal “straw purchases” of firearms and recognized all firearm crimes are serious crimes.
“Any successful strategy to reduce gun violence requires preventing the diversion of lawful firearms into unlawful commerce,” Director Dettelbach said. “Once there, these firearms end up in the hands of people who are sometimes violent criminals and intend to do harm to the people with whom we live, the innocent people who are victims and survivors of gun violence.”
Instead of going hard on criminals in his city, especially those committing crimes involving firearms, DA Krasner chooses to push even more unconstitutional gun control restrictions.
Mayor’s Costly Advice
It wasn’t just DA Krasner who spouted wrongheaded comments in the aftermath of a tragedy. Philadelphia’s Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney criticized the lawful firearm industry and had some unsound advice for the families of victims.
“We will figure out where he got those weapons. That gun dealer or that gun show will be sued till they’re out of business,” the mayor said. “It’s just ridiculous. Every family member of someone who died or was injured in this incident should get together with a big law firm and take these gun dealers down.”
That advice is completely counter to what the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) law prohibits. A basic understanding of tort law explains that criminals that cause harm are responsible for that harm. Attempts to sue the firearm industry for crimes committed by unrelated and remote third parties is the definition of a frivolous lawsuit. Yet, Mayor Kenney and gun control groups want to abuse the judicial system to force gun control instead of holding criminals accountable.
In Colorado, Brady misled the parents of one of the victims of the Aurora movie theater shooting and urged them to sue the company that legally sold the ammunition for the heinous crime committed by the murderer. The case was thrown out of court as lacking any merit and the judge, applying Colorado law, ordered the parents to pay the seller’s legal bill. Brady failed to tell the parents this could happen and they were forced to file for bankruptcy.
No Politics for Safer Communities
Gun control politicians frequently cast blame on Americans of the other political party or those who may disagree with their beliefs on the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. That’s not how the firearm industry operates. NSSF’s Real Solutions. Safer Communities. initiatives prevent firearms from getting into the hands of those who shouldn’t possess them. There is no political litmus test. No questions. These efforts have decades of data to back up their successes and have even garnered the praise of then-Vice President Joe Biden.
As long as ineffective politicians look to solve serious problems by pushing more laws that criminals will ignore, or perhaps worse by prosecutors, crime will fester. The firearm industry will continue to take the other path to safer communities no matter who wants to be a part of the solution.
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org
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