Posted on 06/05/2008 2:05:31 PM PDT by neverdem
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Police Chief Bill Citty called Monday for tighter gun control laws to curb the kind of gang violence that left six teenagers with gunshot wounds following a drive-by shooting in southeast Oklahoma City two days earlier.
Citty, speaking at a news conference by a coalition of social services, clergy and community groups opposed to gang violence, said he believes in a citizen's right to carry firearms but that too many guns are reaching the hands of gang members. He said gang members and their victims are getting younger and younger.
"There has to be some tighter rules and regulations on the sale of firearms and the registration of those firearms," Citty said.
On Saturday night, six people aged 14 through 17 were shot in a drive-by shooting that was witnessed by an Oklahoma City gang patrol officer who was driving through the area and heard gunshots, authorities said. Officials said the victims' injuries were not life-threatening.
One of three suspects was caught after the officer struck him with his cruiser. The 27-year-old suspect was arrested on seven complaints of assault with a deadly weapon. The remaining two suspects, aged 27 and 18, were arrested on six complaints of assault with a deadly weapon.
Citty called for tighter gun control laws one week after adjournment of the Oklahoma Legislature, which considered legislation that would have authorized gun owners with permits to carry concealed weapons to bring them into college and university classrooms and to lower the minimum age of people who can have concealed carry permits from 21 to 18.
Both measures were approved by lopsided votes in the Republican-controlled House but died in the Senate.
Citty and Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel urged residents of violence-prone communities to help law enforcement officials identify gang members and their hangouts to prevent violence before it happens. Citty said shielding gang members who commit violent acts only enables them to commit more.
"The community's the one that's going to have to address the problems," the police chief said.
Whetsel said community involvement and support is "absolutely integral" to law enforcement efforts to apprehend lawbreakers and prevent gang-related violent crime.
"We have a very coordinated law enforcement approach," the sheriff said. "But our efforts are stymied without the support of the citizens."
A member of the Oklahoma City city council, Skip Kelly, said the level of violence in some inner-city neighborhoods makes it difficult for residents to sleep comfortably out of concern for their safety.
"There are senior citizens in this community who are dying to go somewhere else," Kelly said. "Enough is enough."
Marvin Mayberry of Effective Transitions said community leaders need to provide opportunities for young gang members to suppress their bad behavior.
"We as a community have to band together," Mayberry said.
Rep. Anastasia Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, said ministers, social workers and elected officials have partnered to combat gang violence this summer, when school age gang members will be out of school.
"Gang violence is on our mind," Pittman said. "We're placing you on notice: we're ready to take charge."
Well, we HAVE to do SOMETHING!!! I know...let’s make it harder for good citizens to acquire weapons. That’ll fix it right! OK...next problem...SSZ
Hey, Chief............why don’t you enforce the laws already on the books? Guns are NOT the problem. You’ve got a criminal problem. Talk to the Judges who let them off.
Why don’t the police go into the trouble areas with dogs and sniff all the guns out. Then run the numbers on the guns and arrest the people who were in possession of stolen or illegally purchased weapons. If the guns aren’t stolen, but are not at the house of the current owner, contact the owner and find out how the gun got there. If there isn’t a good explanation, put that person on a straw buyer’s watch list.
Dear Polics Chief, you stay away from my guns, and I will stay away from yours. Are we going to have a problem here?
I wonder if they’ve given any thought to passing a law against shooting people.
Did this actually go to print like this?
Oh no! That might actually help alleviate the problem. It's much easier and politically correct to punish the law abiding citizen. Don't want to be called racist ya know. It reminds me of when I was in school. Some moron in class would hit the teacher in the back of the head with an erasure while he had his back to the class writing on the blackboard. The teacher's punishment was to give the whole class detention.
I’m sure those gangbangers will be happy to comply with any new gun laws.
Did this actually go to print like this?
Yes. I post them as I find them, except to correct blatant typos.
My impression is that the police chief was addressing when there is a crime which obviously had witnesses, no one will come forward to be a witness. For these communities crying about crime, it's worse to be a snitch for the "man." We will hear these ignorant arguments for gun control until that situation changes.
Mark
How about a new police chief?
Even if you COULD ban handguns, you would still have gangs. Doesn’t that seem to be the fundamental problem?
Get the pols to outlaw crime, chiefm might work.
How about tighter criminal laws?! Instead of going after an inanimate object.
Bill why don’t you call the police dept. and tell them to go to work.
He sure picked the wrong part of the country to call for that.
“The community’s the one that’s going to have to address the problems,” the police chief said.
Whetsel said community involvement and support is “absolutely integral” to law enforcement efforts to apprehend lawbreakers and prevent gang-related violent crime.
“We have a very coordinated law enforcement approach,” the sheriff said. “But our efforts are stymied without the support of the citizens.”
##
Note to the sheriff and the chief:
It makes it hard for the citizens to trust you when you are trying to restrict their rights and make it harder for them to get self-defense tools. If they don’t trust you, they will not support you.
Take away the citizens’ guns and you will have a crime rate like Washington, DC.
MORE GUNS = LESS CRIME!!!!
“Police Chief Bill Citty “
He’s got all the laws he needs. He is just looking to blame someone else for his failure for not using them.
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