Crime and Crooks

The Supreme Court in a moment of clarity overturned Washington D.C.'s longstanding ban on gun ownership today based on Second Amendment right to bear arms violations. Victory! As a crime analyst, I am ecstatic about this decision to chuck the 32-year-old law and I'll tell you why.

Amidst the already pelting hailstorm of warnings and condemnations of society gone wild with gun slinging citizens around every corner, let me be a voice of reason. People do not realize that the bad guys will get their guns regardless of what the law says. Anyone, especially gang members, can buy a gun on the street in my jurisdiction and thousands across the United States for about $40 on the high-end. No questions asked and some extra ammunition thrown in to seal the deal.

Shocked? I was, too, when I entered the criminal justice field 18 years ago. But I assure you, this is reality. Criminals often exchange weapons for narcotic products to sell individually or for the benefit of their gangs. This is how the same guns are traded and circulated in a common area and why the same firearm is often tied to many different crimes through ballistic analysis.

Gangs commonly recruit kids aged 10 - 14 to run drug product from suppliers to dealers or dealers to buyers because the penalties are so soft for juvenile crime. The children are mostly delighted to earn about $1500 a week for maybe 10 hours work (stiff competition for McDonald's, huh?) These kids are very often armed with black market guns during transports. Strange contradiction, isn't it? A little boy on a mountain bike enjoying the summer day with his shirt packed with heroin and a .45 in his little waistband?

Such is the world we live in, unless you live in Singapore or another country that understands how to use punishment effectively. The first Second Ammendment case to be heard by the high court in 70 years has a happy ending for me. This gun ban reversal only evens up the playing field a little and believe me, we need all the leverage we can get. Residents in Washington D.C. can now obtain licenses to own guns legally. Rejoice Americans. I'm signing up for target practice.