I watched the video, twice. The quote or sound bite by itself is stupid. In the context that the chief is using it though -- armed teenagers, likely defending their drug territories, and using guns to enforce their ownership of those territories, should not be an issue to anyone who is legal and law abiding. If the Chicago police has harvested thousands of guns from idiots who prowl the streets looking for trouble, well good for them. With the new laws taking affect in January, we are going to see what the thugs think when they encounter law abiding citizens who themselves are legally armed and trained to use the power they have. We think of gun control in one context here in Texas and the folks up in Chicago define the term very differently. I would hope that not a single Texas CHL holder who blink twice and be unhappy if the local LEO disarmed a punk 13 yo kid who is looking for a mark to jack.
gdanaher wrote:I would hope that not a single Texas CHL holder who blink twice and be unhappy if the local LEO disarmed a punk 13 yo kid who is looking for a mark to jack.
The problem is that the prosecutors only aggressively pursue gun charges against law abiding citizens.
"Journalism, n. A job for people who flunked out of STEM courses, enjoy making up stories, and have no detectable integrity or morals."
gdanaher wrote:I would hope that not a single Texas CHL holder who blink twice and be unhappy if the local LEO disarmed a punk 13 yo kid who is looking for a mark to jack.
The problem is that the prosecutors only aggressively pursue gun charges against law abiding citizens.
THIS
And all he had to do to make his statement less stupid and offensive is add the word "illegally"
"[Illegally]Carrying a loaded firearm is the gateway crime to committing a murder."
OR
"Carrying an [illegal] firearm is the gateway crime to committing a murder."
Still not ideal and Id still question the statement, but as is its egregiously stupid and insulting (likely purposely so, based on the source).
SQLGeek wrote:“Semi-automatic weapons are not just about gun control, they’re about national security[.] You know that these weapons can shoot down airplanes, they can blow up railroads. This is really a whole national security issue.” - Jesse Jackson
“I will tell you these are ammunition, they’re bullets, so the people who have those know they’re going to shoot them, so if you ban them in the future, the number of these high capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot and there won’t be any more available.” - Diana DeGette
Sadly, there are lots of examples over the past few years.
Those are good (bad?) examples. Maybe we need a contest and vote for dumbest gun quote.
After plea bargaining and probation, weapons offenders in Chicago often serve just months or weeks -- if that.
So the punishment does not fit the menace to society in his view?
"Absolutely not, and if you don't believe me, ask the Pendletons," he said.
Fifteen-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was murdered on the way home from school last Jan. 29.
Well, they arrest people, slap 'em on the wrist, and let them go. What do they expect? I'm not suggesting that their laws or their attitude are appropriate, but I'm pointing out that their actions are not consistent with their rhetoric. If they think that the "crime" of carrying a gun is so bad, why not lock people up for 10 years for it? These are not serious people. Too bad they're so daggum stupid.
This is what got me....the chief is complaining about crime and the fact that lenient sentences are being handed out for gun crimes. But wait, I thought guns were illegal in Chicago?? It says something about their entire system in Chicago that guns can be illegal, yet a criminal like the shooter mentioned in this case can be walking the streets...
The suspect in the case -- Michael Ward -- had pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a loaded firearm two months before but was given probation and returned to the street.
Let a homeowner or otherwise law abiding citizen possess a firearm and watch them go to prison for a long time....
jmra wrote:So what does that say about all of his officers? Are their guns unloaded or are they all murderers in training?
Did you miss the part where he's in Chicago?
I believe the basic political division in this country is not between liberals and conservatives but between those who believe that they should have a say in the personal lives of strangers and those who do not.