By Larry Keane
A new study from the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform revealed who is driving the vast majority of criminal firearm misuse in the Nation’s Capital. Go figure it’s a small number of lawbreakers and not law-abiding gun owners.
Stating that gun crimes in Washington, D.C., are shown to be committed by a “very tightly concentrated” group of individuals, the study’s author said, “This very small number of high risk individuals are identifiable. Their violence is predictable and therefore it is preventable.”
The data demonstrate the irony of Democratic-run big cities with strict Second Amendment restrictions and national gun control groups’ continued drive to force more gun control despite Americans believing in it less and lawfully buying their own firearms at record numbers.
What It Says
Homicide rates rose precipitously in Washington, D.C., in 2020 compared to 2019. That rate set an even higher mark in 2021 when the city had 226 murders. Those rising crime rates, the highest total in nearly 20 years, put D.C. among the nation’s largest cities to experience record crime rates over the past 12 months.
The NICJR study examined all 341 homicides (D.C. data puts the number at 364) from 2019-2020. The average age of victims is 31 and the average age of suspects is 27. The study found that 86 percent of victims and suspects have previously been involved with the D.C. criminal justice system.
“Overall, most victims and suspects with prior criminal offenses had been arrested about 11 times for about 13 different offenses by the time of the homicide,” the study said.
Of all murders examined, approximately 86 percent involved a firearm. The study excluded “cases of justified self-defense.”
Billionaire gun control funder Michael Bloomberg’s gun control propaganda news site The Trace even reported the study’s conclusion. “At least 500 identifiable people annually drive 60-70 percent of the city’s shootings — and likely no more than 200 individuals at any given moment in time.”
What It Doesn’t Say
The survey only included one main recommendation for how Washington, D.C., should best approach criminal misuse of guns and it conspicuously did not include one major theme – more gun control.
“The District should establish a clear citywide strategy that focuses intentional, structured, and intensive intervention efforts on those individuals identified as being at very high risk of being involved in gun violence,” it said.
Washingtonians wouldn’t be blamed if they assumed “intensive intervention efforts” involved more police to keep neighborhoods safe where known suspects would be most likely found. They could blame their Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, and the city council for exacerbating the crime problem in the first place. After all, they caved to calls of “defund the police” protests and cut millions from the Metropolitan Police Department budget. A fact check from local Washington, D.C., media put it plainly, ruling “Yes, MPD’s budget has been cut by millions in 2020.”
Ensuring Safety
Washington, D.C. is home to some of the nation’s strictest gun control laws. In fact, for years there was only one location where a firearm could be transferred. Because that licensee was not a commercial firearm retailer that doesn’t actually sell guns, it only processed firearm transfers from outside jurisdictions. This forced Washingtonians to pay an additional $125 firearm transfer fee. That retailer closed, but two more opened, however they also do not sell firearms and only perform transfers.
That’s not stopping Washingtonians from exercising their Second Amendment rights and purchasing a firearm to protect themselves, their families and their property, however. According to the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), District residents have run NICS verifications for a firearm in record numbers in recent years.
In 2021, that total was 5,410. In 2020, it was 3,726. Compare those figures with 2019’s 1,550 and 2018’s 1,108 checks and 2017’s 811 checks. It becomes very clear how much Washington residents value their personal safety and protection from criminals allowed to be released easily, often committing more violence. Just two months ago, the families of murder victims in D.C., protested as the D.C. Council advanced a plan to allow early release for inmates who committed violent crimes before age 25. This age group is right in the wheelhouse of the key focus age of violent criminals examined in the NICJR report for committing murder.
After years of growing crime worsened by the city’s own actions making it easier for criminals to get off easy for their crimes, the NICJR study should make it clear to Washington, D.C. officials – and office holders across the country. Focus on the criminals and hold them to account for their crimes. Restricting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans is not the answer, and they will make their anger known at ballot boxes.
Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Eventually the powers that be will catch on that a gun can’t kill anyone.
The powers that be know exactly what they are doing. No matter what they say, their goal with crime is to use it as a weapon to scare people into accepting tyranny. Their only concern with guns is that they want tyrannical forces to have them all and those who might resist to have none.
Crimson, if they expect me to kowtow to them, they have another thing coming.
“NICJR Study Proves Politicians, Law Enforcement Should be Targeting Criminals, Not Guns”
“The Trace even reported the study’s conclusion. “At least 500 identifiable people annually drive 60-70 percent of the city’s shootings — and likely no more than 200 individuals at any given moment in time.””
Translation; NICJR Study Proves Gun Owners and Gun Rights Advocates Were Right, The Trace Admits Gun Owners and Gun Rights Advocates Were Right.
No one paid me a dime to come to the same conclusion about criminals. Because all it took for my “study” was no cost, “Common Sense.”
Off topic…During last night’s SOTU if Jim Crow Gun Control joe wanted a chance to look more intelligent than a brick he would have made sure the two bozos seated behind him were missing in action. I could only stand 5 seconds of looking at that disgusting poop pile and clicked the remote.
Off topic and furthermore…From the looks of things the Russian tyrant vladimir putin has really stepped in it and he is up to his eyeballs in perpetual worldwide condemnation. Make no mistake mr. putin by his own hand is damaged goods and very bad for business.
The only way for Mother Russia to regain any credibility in the eyes of the world is for Mother Russia to see to it mr. putin has to go one way or another.
That isn’t going to happen, for several reasons. One of the big ones is, the people there know elections are rigged, so those who would vote him out simply don’t bother to vote.
In a dictatorship, it doesn’t matter how the vote goes, the only thing that matters is who counts the votes…
Who said anything about voting? I am thinking more along the lines of palace coup. He must be thinking it also, since he doesn’t allow any of his dour faced generals within 45 feet of him.
World Taekwondo stripped Putin of his honorary black belt. Expect him to reverse course any second.
I remember when that poisonous viper sat behind President Trump, making puke faces behind his back. I needed an anti-nausea pill before the SOTU even began, watching her beam that sacharine smile all around, while waiting her fair-haired child’s arrival.
It’s a shame she wasn’t personally caught up in any violence on Jan 6.
Emotion and the leftist mindset are Kryptonite to stats and data. Showed this report to brother-in-law last week (found on another outlet). BIL said that knowing who commits the large majority of violent crimes doesn’t solve the problem because they can get guns. If owning a gun was illegal for everyone, violent crime would virtually disappear.
Now, the point of the above is a look into the thinking of the anti-gun mob. There is no amount of hard fact that will alter the leftist mind. The masses of leftists never leave the childhood fantasy that life is supposed to be unending safety and happiness. Those who rule the leftist masses understand the power of childhood fantasy, and use it to grow their base. The leftist base will refuse to accept that their leaders will ever restrict the populace, and subjugate them.
Media control the culture. Oddly enough, Fox News rules cable news, yet half the populace is beholden to the leftists. If “conservatives”, or “right-wingers”, or “populists”, or “originalists” cannot capture the culture, then the culture will continue to drift leftward, regardless of temporary roadblocks represented by minor arrestments in drift.
I think it would be far simpler and less constitutionally fraught to throw a couple of hundred murderers in the slammer for a few decades than it would be trying to confiscate all the millions of firearms in this country.
P.S.: Ohio’s version of constitutional carry is headed to the governor’s desk.
“I think it would be far simpler and less constitutionally fraught to throw a couple of hundred murderers in the slammer for a few decades than it would be trying to confiscate all the millions of firearms in this country.”
The leftist/Dim mindset is that criminals can be rehabilitated and lead meaningful, positive lives of service to humans. The other mindset is that criminals are incorrigible, let ’em rot in jail.
Pick a side; “rehabilitation” has a long and admirable history of success. Well, it would if it were every properly funded and the right people were in charge of rehabilitation. It has never truly tried in the past. It’s been done wrong every time before because the best and brightest weren’t in position to make it happen. Things are different now: we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We can make rehabilitation better, than it was. We can Build Back Better, stronger, faster.
” we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We can make rehabilitation better, than it was. We can Build Back Better, stronger, faster ”
That only worked on Lee Majors. I don’t know that he’s even still alive.
We’ve had similar studies on crime in the past. The vast majority of crime in Chitcago is concentrated in just a couple of zip codes – I can’t be arsed to find the actual number. Ditto Los Angeles, and every other major city. Crime and violent crime is concentrated into very specific areas of each city, and each state. Criminals, almost by definition, are people who repeatedly commit ever more serious crimes. This study says murderers have been arrested an average of 11 times already, for various offenses.
Well, let’s address those people. Humanely, or otherwise, let’s address those people.
Unfortunately, Democrats have no desire to address the real issues, or the real people.
This is a result that has been known to criminology for over a hundred years. Hell, it’s one of the clearest and most consistent findings in the social sciences. This study won’t change anything, because the gun control nuts already knew and they don’t care. They were never worried about what a few, violently antisocial, career criminals might do with guns. The latter doesn’t live in the former’s neighborhood anyway. They’re worried about what large numbers of honest citizens might do with guns.
Big city officials will never focus on criminals because they are allies of the criminals. Gangs can only survive by subverting the officials, and the big city officials can only prosper by collaborating with the gangs.
Parasites having parasites may be unique in biology, but its not unique in Chicago, New Orleans, or any other democrat-run slum.
“Law Enforcement Should be Targeting Criminals, Not Guns”
for the left, you are the criminal. going after your guns is just a front for going after you.
The idiots could have saved themselves a lot of time and money on their study and just asked the beat cops and homicide detectives who they see committing the majority of violent offenses. Any cop will tell you they deal with the same 10% of the population 90% of the time
Targeting criminals is like locking the barn door after the horse escapes. The dead victims will not be brought back to life. Without laws that vastly reduce the sea of second hand guns available to criminals little will change no matter how many criminals the cops actually catch (which is usually damn few anyway)
You must’ve missed this part: “At least 500 identifiable people annually drive 60-70 percent of the city’s shootings — and likely no more than 200 individuals at any given moment in time.”
What’s more likely to be effective: targeting that small number of known criminals or targeting *everyone* who legally owns a gun?
“What’s more likely to be effective”
That depends on your goal.
His grand plan is to eliminate gun violence by eliminating gun owners. Especially those who own unapproved guns.
Right. So I re-read what I wrote, and realized it sounded dumb.
Quote —–Targeting criminals is like locking the barn door after the horse escapes.
The dead victims will not be brought back to life. —–Quote
So sure. Yeah, you can’t bring back those victims, but you are preventing those criminals from hurting others in the future. And it must have just slipped my mind, not to mention that! The entire idea of guilty until proven innocent, and freedom is assumed first, and punishment to occur should the freedom be abused, is an emphasis on freedom, instead of safety. And the left loves safety. Even if it comes with totalitarianism. This is why we have a ban guns first mentality.
Quote—– Without laws that vastly reduce the sea of second hand guns available to criminals little will change no matter how many criminals the cops actually catch (which is usually damn few anyway) —–Quote
So it didn’t seem to occur to me, at the time that I wrote this, 99.996% of the population are simply not committing crimes with guns. So is the problem the guns, or the minute few that can’t control themselves, or otherwise “decided” to commit crimes, uh, with guns.
I never saw that one coming. What’s next? Natural immunity is better protection than the Wuflu vax? Cloth masks don’t work? That’d be crazy, especially since that was Joe’s secret weapon to save America from the lab leak.
The big problem? Most of those are POCs…gang members…so it would be racist…
the same holds true in almost every city in the USA…an inconvenient truth
they have to add all the suicides in to get the big gun death numbers…
The inconvenient truth is that Democrats moved from enslaving black people on farms to farming black people for votes.
“Racism” is a perimeter fence.
It serves the dual purpose of keeping the livestock on the plantation and keeping would-be abolitionists out. Like a cattle guard painted on a road or an electric fence with no electricity, the cattle on the inside fear to cross it, and the sheep on the outside have been conditioned not to touch it.
@UpInArms
“That only worked on Lee Majors.”
And Lindsay Wagner
AGREE TARGET CRIMINALS AND DRUG LORDS AND STREET GANGS .
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