SaferCity Proposal
By Ally Basile
In 2010, Baltimore crime rates decreased significantly in crime categories that included homicides, shootings and general gun crime, but Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would not stop there and responded to this decline in crime by taking further action.
In order to make Balt
imore a safer place, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is heading the SaferCity campaign to push for change in Maryland's Criminal Justice System. The core principles of the SaferCity campaign include a no tolerance policy for illegal guns in Baltimore, a demand for tougher penalties for those who use illegal guns and support for the use of innovative technology in order to increase public safety.
According to the Baltimore Police Department, in 2010, Baltimore homicides were down 6%, which represented the lowest homicide count since 1985. Down 35% were Baltimore juvenile homicides and shootings. Lastly, general gun crime in Baltimore was down 16% from 2009. Rawlings-blake hopes to decrease these crime rates even more with the SaferCity campaign.
If Rawlings-Blake's proposed legislation is passed by the General Assembly, it will help reduce crime by sending a powerful message to those involved in illegal gun activity. Individuals in Maryland who possess illegal guns will suffer harsher penalties, like longer sentences. In order to see a real decline in the use of illegal guns, individuals who violate this law must be arrested, prosecuted and put in prison immediately.
One City proposal suggests a minimum sentence of 18 months for all individuals arrested for the possession of an illegal, loaded gun. Another City proposal suggests harsher sentencing punishments for repeat gun offenders, which range from a minimum of five years to and maximum of 15 years. This proposal will give judges a wider range of options when sentencing felons who break the laws.
Click here to learn more about illegal gun use.
