(The following is this week's editorial, which ran in the Sept. 27 issue of the Northeast News Gleaner)

“We are a community and we need each other,” Mayor Street told a group in Frankford this week. A community of elected officials are coming through with as many ideas as there are elections, to fight the rising tide of crime in Philadelphia.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz has secured more funding for the fight on crime, and the local state legislators in the area have forced their colleagues to hold a meeting, dubbed the “Committee of the Whole”, to discuss the issue of gun violence, and the ways that it can be reduced.
Philadelphia, hit by one of the most violent summers in recent memory, should be on board with pushing legislation, making it more difficult to buy firearms in this state.

But that, for the most part, is where the support ends – just past the city limits. Because while Philadelphia can consider itself a big community, it is just a part of a very big state, where most residents consider gun control a dirty word.

Pennsylvania is home to many legal gun owners. They hold onto that ownership tightly, not willing to give up their rights to bear arms. They also could care less about the problems of Philadelphia. No matter what happens in Harrisburg, no matter the testimony or statistics, it will be very difficult for any legislator to get any new laws past to curb guns in the state.

It is true that most gun violence is not perpetrated with legal guns. Illegal gun sales are the biggest problem to stopping gun violence. The practice of “straw sales”, where one purchaser buys many guns, which are then stolen and sold illegally, needs to be stopped.

The one gun per month law would do that, but has a major detractor in House Minority Leader Bill DeWeese. He knows, as do many Representatives up for re-election, that any legislation that prohibits the legal sale of firearms in this state is a prescription for Election Day disaster.

Almost everyone, except it seems the mayor, agrees that more cops on the street would help the situation. John Perzel has a plan to hire 10,000 police officers throughout the state, with 1,345 of those hirings in the city. The house endorsed the plan but the cost is high, and the governor has already indicated that he would veto the bill.

There used to be a law on the Pennsylvania books, which allowed Philadelphia to exercise tougher gun control laws than the rest of the state. But Philadelphia is surrounded by three big counties, along with New Jersey and Delaware. If a person wants to buy a gun, he or she will figure out a way, and the violence will continue.

No, the problem of gun violence might be talked about at length in Harrisburg, but no tangible solution will come from the state house. Money might come from Washington, but legislation is hard to pass on this subject, at the federal level.

No, the solution to the problems in Philadelphia must ultimately come from us. Other Pennsylvanians look upon us as an island on the southeast tip of the state. It’s up to the citizenry of Philadelphia to stand up and take responsibility for our own safety.

The Mayor is right – we have to act as a community. We must look out for each other, and try to make our own neighborhoods safer. Town watches have proven to be an invaluable tool in the reduction of crime. If you want to help, you should join a town watch.

Even if you don’t, it’s important for us as citizens to keep the dialogue alive with regard to this issue. Talk about it with your neighbors and friends. Talk about it with your elected officials. But most importantly, don’t stop talking. By keeping the issue of crime and violence on the front burner, it is harder for it to go away.

Sorry....your one gun a month measure was torpedoed.

Too bad!

The best line in that article comes from Rep. Daryl D. Metcalfe who blamed the welfare system and the breakdown of the family for causing crime in the city.

I tend to agree since the idea of a real family has gone the way of the dodo.

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Eat your heart out Mr. Obama.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote" Benjamin Franklin

Yes there is a place where you wont be treated like a child.

PatMac:
We have the SAME problems in Fort Wayne with "straw purchasers". We even jokingly refer to this as "Indiana: The state where people from ILLINOIS buy their guns". In another posting somwehere I told about one dealer in Indy that had over 400 of his purchased firearms involved in crimes around the state.

And as to Neighborhood Watches...I can say first hand that they are ONLY as good as the people that GET INVOLVED. If you have an N.A. like the one around my neighbrhood here, then you have NO support, NO membership to speak of, and meeting consisting of the board members alone. That's a sad commentary indeed. In other areas, they DO have active involvement, and some have enough memebrs (and funds accordingly) to have PAID PATROLS in their areas. Try having THAT in an are full of renters as transient as the Bedouin!

((Rep. Daryl D. Metcalfe who blamed the welfare system and the breakdown of the family for causing crime in the city))

Be fun to see how this recent welfare "reform" will work (unlike the scads that have all day to sit around and NOT work). States will lose a ton of money if these recipients are not placed in a work program. Should be fun to watch the politicos scurry about, trying to "find" work for all of them. And I wonder how much the taxpayer will have to shell out for it?

We're all in the same boat...just at different oars, that's all.

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We're ALL in the same boat...just at DIFFERENT oars!

Bob G.

I learned plenty of things in the service....one thing being, just as you mentioned, personal responsibility. We are responsible for our own actions and should be held accountable.

I have a bumper sticker, thats not on my car but in my front window, that says "I work hard to support millions of slackers on welfare..."

Now dont get me wrong...services such as welfare are valuable for those who need it but are abused easily.

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Eat your heart out Mr. Obama.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote" Benjamin Franklin

Yes there is a place where you wont be treated like a child.

The city doesn't stand alone; its leaders hardly stand against violent crime at all.

The 25-year old suspect in the murder of Casha'e Rivers had three drug convictions and was free. A three-time loser and he's already back on the street? If the justice system can't even keep a guy like this behind bars, how is another unenforced gun law supposed to make a difference?

There isn't much evidence that gun control would keep a weapon out of the hands of someone like this guy. (He's a criminal, after all.) But it's 100 percent certain that if he were in a cell somewhere, he couldn't have shot his victim. Why isn't a three-time loser behind bars?

The problem with a system that can't keep a three-time felon locked up isn't a lack of gun laws to enforce; it's a lack of will to enforce any laws at all.

Oh but the innocent felons complain about overcrowding....boohoo! Build bigger prisons with smaller cells...sounds like a good idea!

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Eat your heart out Mr. Obama.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote" Benjamin Franklin

Yes there is a place where you wont be treated like a child.

Yes, we must maintain the rights of John Street's people. John Street the corrupt thug has more concern for his ilk than the law abiding, civilized people of Philly. And yet, sadly, Philadelphia WILL elect to put into office another corrupt thug. The Inquirer and Daily News will continue to beat the "more gun control law" drum while ignoring the root of the problem because of political correctness.
The fact is that innocent little girl was killed because her mother chose to live in the "gangsta" world. There is much more to this sad story than the PC Inquirer and Daily News chooses to report.
The next time a Phiily politician demands more gun laws, ask: Why are the thugs allowed to be free?
Better than more gun laws would be legislation that would hold the people in black, the judges responsible for setting the vermin loose.

Actually they did mention that the girls real father was doing time for drug possession and trafficking. Her current man, who knows how many there are, was also picked up for some drug related crime.

Such a great family unit!

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Eat your heart out Mr. Obama.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote" Benjamin Franklin

Yes there is a place where you wont be treated like a child.