Just blocks from the state Capitol where legislators have crafted arguably the toughest gun control laws in the country, at least two shooters early Sunday morning killed at least six people and injured another 12 in Sacramento’s worst mass shooting in history.
The Sacramento mass shooting is sure to intensify questions about what elected officials can do to curb rising gun violence and crime before concerned Californians vote in the June 7 primary.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s abroad on a family vacation, said the country must end its “scourge of gun violence.” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg called for tougher laws on assault rifles, though it wasn’t immediately clear what types of guns the shooters used.
Attorney General Rob Bonta — a progressive Democrat who’s gearing up for one of the most closely watched primary races against tough-on-crime independent Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and Republicans Nathan Hochman and Eric Early — emphasized that he’s in the business of keeping Californians safe.
Newsom, Bonta and Democratic lawmakers recently introduced a package of gun control bills. But those efforts may not be enough to comfort Californians still reeling from mass shootings last month at a Sacramento church and last year at a San Jose railyard, or the houses of worship that recently received state funds to install bulletproof windows and hire armed guards.
And there’s no clear consensus on the best way to address gun violence. While some are calling for a beefed-up law enforcement presence, others, like Sacramento City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents the downtown district where the mass shooting occurred, said that wouldn’t necessarily stop the violence.
Sam Paredes, who runs Gun Owners of California, told the Sacramento Bee that lawmakers’ “knee-jerk reaction is to go after guns,” when the real issues driving gun violence may be mental, economic or medical.
It’s a debate playing out across the state and one sure to heighten in coming months, with San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin facing a recall election on June 7 and discontented Los Angeles County voters collecting signatures to oust District Attorney George Gascón.
Against that backdrop, the progressive prosecutors’ two regions are also grappling with the best way to handle spiraling drug addiction and homelessness.
Polls show 64% of CA voters see Violence and Street Crime as a problem –
and 51% of voters say Newsom is doing a Poor Job addressing Crime.
2022 Polls shows only 30% support for Prop 47 which has resulted in Soaring Crime Rates and More Criminals Released Back to the Streets to re-offend.
Homicides in CA soared by 30% between 2019 and 2020.
“That increase in the number of homicides, it is the BIGGEST 1 year increase we’ve seen since 1960,” (Public Policy Institute of California.)
Left-leaning Soft-On-Crime DAs in SF (Boudin) & LA (Gascon) could both get Booted this year.
CA Attorney General Rob Bonta has supported these Soft-On-Crime DAs and Pro-Crime policies like ending cash bail, revolving door jails and abolishing for-profit prisons.
Soft-on-crime CA Attorney General Bonta also needs to Go.
Is “supercharge” more hype? Meanwhile, the anti-gun loons will do as they do.
@LYR, Nah – Emily is just an Elon Musk fan.
Maybe SJI has one of those new mandates that everything published has to
have a little bit of ‘climate consideration’ in it.
“Supercharge” checks the box.
IF we just let the Police ENFORCE the laws we have, and force the DA’s to PROSECUTE the laws we have, then we wouldn’t have incidents like this.
By the way, the first person arrested as one of the shooters, was already convicted of a Felony and not allowed to posses a gun. So what good would more gun laws do???
“Supercharge” may be not be mere hype, but accurate about some: Many lefties routinely lack, among other things, self-control (and respect of limits, including constitutional) on some pet issues.
You have a point, but as with “Autopilot,” the actual concept as well as word, “Supercharge” long predates Musk and it’s not “his” even if he tries to trademark it. (Only the silliest younger Musk groupies would believe he invented either word.)
“Supercharge” has been used in the past as a metaphor for something made bigger or stronger — like liberals’ emotions.
Another example of the illegal gun issue being the vast majority of the issue. In San Jose, an illegal gun was involved in a recent fight downtown – and the brothers that shot up large groups of people in Sacramento also had illegal guns because of their prior convictions. A machine gun was used, I believe? So, the issue seems to be felons acquiring illegal weapons – not legal gun owners who 99.9% of the time are doing legal things (you can use the VTA shooting as an example, but that is by far not the most common mass shooting by definition. These shootings are).
But the vast majority of gun violence happens in the streets with illegal guns used by people who shouldn’t have them. You can run all the background checks or charge law abiding gun owners money for “insurance.” In the end, most people committing these crimes don’t care. The tragic Gilroy and VTA shootings are not nearly as prevalent as gang/street violence occurring everyday – and we have to stop treating them differently.
Also, we have seen the narrative of “white men” only do these things debunked time and time again via video footage of violent crimes and other shootings. Everyone is capable of this sadly – so the hyper-focus on only one group committing crimes is insane – and we need to acknowledge and call out other groups (if we continue this absurd singling out and identity everything) the same. There is a clear trend.
Knee-jerk reactions for a mostly uneducated public:
“Newsom, Bonta and Democratic lawmakers recently introduced a package of gun control bills.”
Enforce or Pass Laws in which criminals CANNOT Plea Down Firearms charges and
are Held without Bail Options – if you want some results.
DAs and Judges that are Soft-on-Crime,
allowing Felony Firearm charges to plea down,
and Do Not File illegal firearms or gang enhancements are
already in office, ensuring crime returns back to the streets.
These ‘Progressive” DAs forget that they ARE NOT Public Defenders –
they are elected to put Offenders behind Bars.
———————————–
A quick search shows how frequently Criminals with Gun Charges are Released,
only to Commit Future Gun Crimes.
Take Chicago Headlines for example:
—— “3 men, 3 guns, but Prosecutors ONLY FILE Misdemeanor Charges”
#1: 16-year-old charged with shooting man during robbery while awaiting trial for firearm felony.
..
#21: Man’s accused of shooting up another car in traffic – while on bond for gun case.
..
#38: Man killed one, shot another while on bond for being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosecutors say.
..
The list of 38 criminals who were released by
Weak Progressive DAs, Prosecutors and Judges
just to commit further crimes in 2021 can be reviewed below.
https://cwbchicago.com/2021/08/38-man-killed-one-shot-another-while-on-bond-for-being-a-felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm-prosecutors-say.html
The anti-gun loonies in all their formal occupations (not just anti-gun activists on a full-time or professional basis) got emotionally supercharged again, while those us who know and are better just waited to learn more details, since it was not any kind of excuse for more attempted subversion by the Usuals with their gun control goals.
Surely enough, more than one shooter (the real problem, not the gun or guns) has had his record reported, and one of them was released early from a prison term for a(nother) violent crime, only to do this shortly afterward. The two brothers most in the news are quite a pair, including the number of restrictions on their behavior that they flouted, of course. (Plus converting a gun to full auto and other fun and games)
California Today™
Restorative Justice in action = more Progressive Dem Failures.
Michael Shellenberger candidate for CA Governor knows the truth:
“responsibility for the mass shooting, which killed a homeless woman, lies with Gov Gavin Newsom who appointed the head of the CA department of corrections which already reduced CA’s prison population by nearly 30,000 inmates since 2019,
and is seeking to reduce it an additional 76,000 inmates.”
The crime and danger on CA streets will only get worse as Gov Gavin Newsom and AG Rob Bonta continue to push progressive soft-on-crime initiatives.
One solution is to make sure they are Out Of Office after Nov Elections.
Smiley Martin was convicted in 2018 and received a 10 year sentence, but was released early from prison, despite
(CA Attorney General candidate and) Sacramento County DA Anne Marie Schubert’s opposition to the early release.
DA Schubert wrote a letter to the parole board urging them NOT To Release Smiley:
“Inmate Martin has, for his entire adult life, displayed a pattern of criminal behavior.
While the current case on review may not be ‘violent’ under the Penal Code,
Inmate Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and lengthy.”
AG Candidate Schubert also noted,
“Inmate Martin has committed several felony violations and clearly has little regard for human life and the law, which can be shown by his conduct in his prior felony convictions of robbery, possession of a firearm and prior misdemeanor conviction of providing false information to a peace officer.”
Martin’s gun had allegedly been STOLEN and was converted into a fully automatic weapon. The first suspect arrested in connection with the Sacramento shooting was 26 yr old Dandrae Martin, the brother of Smiley Martin.
So far, every person involved in the shooting was a “prohibited person” and/or the gun was an illegal weapon (read homemade automatic weapon). Exactly how will some new law (that zero bail and soft on crime DAs will effectively negate) stop gang-banging felons from acting like thugs?
Democrat run cities. Real problems. No solutions.
Republican run cities. No problems. Real solutions.
I was going to commit an armed robbery but found out that as a convicted felon that I was prohibited from owning guns so I turned myself in to the police.