Enforce the Laws

GGReporter · 04-04-2008, 09:32 AM

Did you know that robberies in the home, or home invasions, are up nearly 50 percent since 2000? The New York Times discovered the fact that home invasions are on the rise when they took a look at what states are doing.

It turns out more states are thinking about increasing the sentences for committing a home invasion. But the Times interviewed a law enforcement officer with an interesting perspective.

Lt. Jay Markella, spokesman for the Cheshire, Connecticut, police department, told the Times: "Let's see how the cases go through the court system and if the law is used or taken off the table during a plea bargain. You can create all the new laws you want, but if they are not applied properly, there's really no gain."

The Times went on to report, "Lieutenant Markella also said that if current burglary and assault laws were applied to their full extent, with maximum penalties and consecutive sentences, the new law would not be needed."

In other words, these new laws aren't really necessary, and may only serve as another empty promise by politicians who seek to treat the symptoms of violent crime, not the disease itself. Making something "more illegal" doesn't do anything if you're still not putting the home invaders behind bars for their crimes. And Lt. Markella sounds a lot like NRA members who say we don't need more gun control laws, we just need to enforce the laws on the books.

It's too bad Lt. Markella went on to say that owning a gun won't help against home invasions. Police in Memphis, Tennessee, would disagree. So would police in Tucker, Georgia.

And in the meantime, as politicians debate adding more criminal charges that will most likely be plea-bargained away, more and more Americans are becoming gun owners in order to protect themselves from the violent criminals that slip through the system. Gun control doesn't equal public safety. Crime control does. The two are very different things, and more Americans are realizing that every day.

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04-04-2008, 09:32 AM	#1
GGReporter Magazine Staff Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 717	Enforce the Laws Did you know that robberies in the home, or home invasions, are up nearly 50 percent since 2000? The New York Times discovered the fact that home invasions are on the rise when they took a look at what states are doing. It turns out more states are thinking about increasing the sentences for committing a home invasion. But the Times interviewed a law enforcement officer with an interesting perspective. Lt. Jay Markella, spokesman for the Cheshire, Connecticut, police department, told the Times: "Let's see how the cases go through the court system and if the law is used or taken off the table during a plea bargain. You can create all the new laws you want, but if they are not applied properly, there's really no gain." The Times went on to report, "Lieutenant Markella also said that if current burglary and assault laws were applied to their full extent, with maximum penalties and consecutive sentences, the new law would not be needed." In other words, these new laws aren't really necessary, and may only serve as another empty promise by politicians who seek to treat the symptoms of violent crime, not the disease itself. Making something "more illegal" doesn't do anything if you're still not putting the home invaders behind bars for their crimes. And Lt. Markella sounds a lot like NRA members who say we don't need more gun control laws, we just need to enforce the laws on the books. It's too bad Lt. Markella went on to say that owning a gun won't help against home invasions. Police in Memphis, Tennessee, would disagree. So would police in Tucker, Georgia. And in the meantime, as politicians debate adding more criminal charges that will most likely be plea-bargained away, more and more Americans are becoming gun owners in order to protect themselves from the violent criminals that slip through the system. Gun control doesn't equal public safety. Crime control does. The two are very different things, and more Americans are realizing that every day. More...