National There is a realistic bipartisan solution for gun violence

Joe Link · Nov 13, 2017

In the wake of the latest mass shooting incident that took the lives of 26 people in Sutherland Springs, Texas, has everyone had enough time to angrily blame the opposing political party, opposing lobby group, or any of the other usual suspects?

It's a question worth asking because focusing on boosting America's existing gun laws to curtail gun violence is a dead end, even if data-laden studies show that the U.S. suffers from more mass shootings than all the other countries in the world because we have the most guns.

Here's a spoiler alert: As long as Democrats insist that new gun laws and bans are the only way to stop or slow gun violence, Republicans and most of the American people will stand in their way. That's a scenario we've seen for years now.

But what if there's a way to reduce gun violence that could muster bipartisan support? A plan where actual gun control legislation is taken out of the equation and we focus on other ways to get the job done?

We have answers to those questions because two recent presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, gave us the answers. And those answers were really good.

Gun violence fell in the Clinton years and it wasn't the Brady Bill or the Assault Weapons Ban that made the real difference. It was the increased funding to police departments and the boosted number of cops on the streets from his 1994 crime bill that made the real progress.

That fact has been proven many times in the years since, most prominently by an analysis published by the Washington Post in 2015.Just to summarize what happened, in October 1994 President Clinton was joined by an army of police chiefs and mayors on the White House lawn to announce the $200 million in funds being released to put 100,000 more cops on the streets. It wasn't just the boosted numbers of police but also the message that resonated. And that message was that guns or legal gun owners weren't the problem, but the fact that the police didn't have the numbers or the tools to stop the violence committed by criminals with guns.

Continue Reading: Yes, Washington can do something about gun violence right now

etrain16 · Nov 13, 2017

Increasing funding to police, in the right areas, could help, but some more would be needed to really be effective:

Let police be police. No more pussy-footing PC B.S. If someone does a criminal act, they get treated as such. No cutting enforcement in some areas because it might be 'racist'
Put bad people in jail, and leave them there. Not enough room, build more jails. Putting violent offenders back on the street isn't an answer, it's begging for more violence.
Fund better mental health care - and that should include institutions for the worst of the worst - again, putting them on the streets isn't compassionate, it's the opposite, and society pays for it. Work to help and rehab those that can be helped. For those concerned about abuse in institutions, fund a fully non-party affiliated group of observers that carefully monitor and report conditions in these places.
Enforce the laws already on the books - for example, the church shooter was a prohibited person, but the government fell down on the job - THEY allowed this to happen, THEY are the ones that should be held accountable. Texas stopped him from getting a carry permit, but NICS said, go ahead, buy 4 guns.
No more new gun laws, period. They don't work and only lead folks away from the real problems and solutions

Argonaut · Nov 13, 2017

I remember Hugh Hewitt saying one time "he didn't believe in the electric chair.....he wanted electric bleachers" but it needs to be carried out in short order. Not the 20+ (if ever) years it takes now. How was it that Tim Mcvey was gone in short order but a murderous drug dealer takes over 20 years to get rid of? (I forgot......the Clintons were involved. How long do you think Donna Brazil will last?)