The Guns of Baltimore

For John, BLUF:  In the article, "Larry Hogan" is the Governor of Maryland.  Maryland is the state that is mostly bucolic, but is the home to Charm City, perhaps known to you as Baltimore, which has a high murder rate, which is the culmination of other pathologies.  Here in Lowell, we have the Ladd & Whitney Monument, to honor two of the first casualties in the American Civil War, killed in Baltimore.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Baltimore Democrats Don’t Want Larry Hogan To Rein In Gun Violence

From Hot Air, by Blogger JAZZ SHAW, 21 February 2020.

Here is the lede plus four:

It’s no secret that the city of Baltimore, Maryland is in the middle of a violent crime crisis and has been for several years now.  2019 saw a new record in the per capita murder rate and 2020 isn’t starting off any better, with the city averaging more than one murder per day.  Governor Larry Hogan has promised to do something about it and this month he unveiled a new crime bill that would finally toughen up penalties for gun crimes and close the revolving door of gang members parading in and out of jail.

So what have the Democrats in the legislature done about it?  They’re preparing to shoot it down, of course.  And the interim mayor of Charm City is backing them up. (CBS Baltimore)

Citing their opposition to mandatory minimum sentences, Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly say they are unlikely to pass Gov. Larry Hogan’s top priority this session ― the Violent Firearms Offender Act ― infuriating the governor who alleges lawmakers aren’t taking shootings in Baltimore seriously.

In an interview with The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday, Hogan argued that lawmakers who don’t support his legislation are out of touch with the views of most Marylanders and should step down from their leadership posts.  On a table in his office at the State House, he spread out his internal polling results that show residents overwhelmingly want “tougher sentences for violent offenders who commit crimes with guns.”

Democrats in the Assembly are saying that bill won’t even make it out of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, so there won’t be a chance of a full floor vote or debate.  Their objections are based on the removal of judicial discretion for a number of gun crimes in favor of mandatory minimum sentences.  But judicial discretion is a large part of the reason the city is dealing with a murder rate that’s worse than you would find in some war zones.

I think we, the American People, re too confused to be making hard and fast long term decisions about guns.

On the other hand, that doesn't seem to keep people for expressing hard and fast opinions on the subject.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff