Matt Yglesias on the Non-Papering of DC Gun Arrests

[Anonymous]

DC Crime Facts is doing much of the heavy lifting here, but the commentary is worthy of a post: https://www.slowboring.com/p/why-most-gun-arrests-in-dc-dont-lead

[Anonymous]

Every time Matt does I good post I vow to go a week without laughing at him for getting knockout gamed and pretending it didn’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Good analysis. The DC council won’t do anything, but Congress could. It’s crazy that so many people get away with possessing guns illegally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good analysis. The DC council won’t do anything, but Congress could. It’s crazy that so many people get away with possessing guns illegally.

DC Council can’t do much on this. From all appearances, this is on MPD (who have all but stopped arresting people and bungle a healthy share of cases they do make) and thus the mayor, USAO and thus the president and others who appoint the attorney, and the DCCA and thus the president and others who appoint the judges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good analysis. The DC council won’t do anything, but Congress could. It’s crazy that so many people get away with possessing guns illegally.

DC Council can’t do much on this. From all appearances, this is on MPD (who have all but stopped arresting people and bungle a healthy share of cases they do make) and thus the mayor, USAO and thus the president and others who appoint the attorney, and the DCCA and thus the president and others who appoint the judges.

Tell me you didn’t read the article without telling me you didn’t read the article.

[Anonymous]

Yeglesias’ obsession with sending Black children and young men to jail for essentially statutory offenses (which is exactly what mere possession of gun, absent another associated crime IS) is racist AF.

Simply being in possession of a gun is not a violent crime in and of itself. It is abhorrent to send people to jail for nonviolent offenses.

If they shoot someone or commit a robbery or assault or some other violent crime, they should be prosecuted for that and the gun possession as well, and serve a commensurate sentence.

But simply possessing a gun illegally absent any other crime, especially a crime of violence, is just blatant naked racism designed to put Black males into the criminal justice industrial complex.

No-papering is EXACTLY what prosecutors should be doing. That’s what I support.

[Anonymous]

DC doesn’t enforce any laws.

[Anonymous]

Google the people on trial in DC. You have to get arrested at least a dozen times for serious crimes before the city will prosecute you. It’s hard to imagine how the city could be any softer on crime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeglesias’ obsession with sending Black children and young men to jail for essentially statutory offenses (which is exactly what mere possession of gun, absent another associated crime IS) is racist AF.

Simply being in possession of a gun is not a violent crime in and of itself. It is abhorrent to send people to jail for nonviolent offenses.

If they shoot someone or commit a robbery or assault or some other violent crime, they should be prosecuted for that and the gun possession as well, and serve a commensurate sentence.

But simply possessing a gun illegally absent any other crime, especially a crime of violence, is just blatant naked racism designed to put Black males into the criminal justice industrial complex.

No-papering is EXACTLY what prosecutors should be doing. That’s what I support.

If someone illegally possesses a gun, waiting until they discharge the gun before prosecuting them is moronic policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeglesias’ obsession with sending Black children and young men to jail for essentially statutory offenses (which is exactly what mere possession of gun, absent another associated crime IS) is racist AF.

Simply being in possession of a gun is not a violent crime in and of itself. It is abhorrent to send people to jail for nonviolent offenses.

If they shoot someone or commit a robbery or assault or some other violent crime, they should be prosecuted for that and the gun possession as well, and serve a commensurate sentence.

But simply possessing a gun illegally absent any other crime, especially a crime of violence, is just blatant naked racism designed to put Black males into the criminal justice industrial complex.

No-papering is EXACTLY what prosecutors should be doing. That’s what I support.

Gee, I wonder what someone illegally in possession of a gun plans to do with it. But by all means wait until they victimize someone with it. You cannot be this much of a moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good analysis. The DC council won’t do anything, but Congress could. It’s crazy that so many people get away with possessing guns illegally.

DC Council can’t do much on this. From all appearances, this is on MPD (who have all but stopped arresting people and bungle a healthy share of cases they do make) and thus the mayor, USAO and thus the president and others who appoint the attorney, and the DCCA and thus the president and others who appoint the judges.

Tell me you didn’t read the article without telling me you didn’t read the article.

I read the article and that’s a pretty good summary of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good analysis. The DC council won’t do anything, but Congress could. It’s crazy that so many people get away with possessing guns illegally.

DC Council can’t do much on this. From all appearances, this is on MPD (who have all but stopped arresting people and bungle a healthy share of cases they do make) and thus the mayor, USAO and thus the president and others who appoint the attorney, and the DCCA and thus the president and others who appoint the judges.

yup. not the biggest allen fan. but this is more on the mayor and president than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC doesn’t enforce any laws.

DC is apparently doing well on enforcing the flavored tobacco prohibition. So there's one. It might be the only one, though.

[Anonymous]

A prosecutor friend recently told me that you have to steal $10,000 worth of stuff to get prosecuted here. It's ridiculous. We need to staff up and prosecute more of these crimes.

[Anonymous]

Caught with an illegal gun?

The commonsense approach would be

1. Take away the gun

2. Issue a hefty fine

3. Failure to pay the fine/maintain a payment plan results in an additional fine.

Go after a person’s wages if necessary.

We can’t lock up everybody.