Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

piddling_around t1_jahmlm8 wrote

What are the best groups that a local resident like me, who isn't a career expert on gun violence, might look to endorse a particular candidate or specific policy approach with evidence backed policies. Essentially, who are the experts who will seriously consider these candidate's and their answers that we can look to?

17

internet_friends t1_jahuk00 wrote

This doesn't directly answer your question, but I've found the most information about the candidates and their stances on issues like gun control (and nuanced takes on those stances) on the Philadelphia Citizen.

16

felis_scipio t1_jaif2hf wrote

Good question but when it comes to gun violence info / stars you’re often stuck between groups who are rabidly anti-gun and groups who are rabidly pro-gun putting out numbers that are all over the place in how they define things and I say that as someone who is very pro 2A and owns an ample collection.

One of the best local sources I’ve found was the Radio Times show on NPR. It’s ended but I’d strongly recommend looking back in their catalog and listening to their episodes on gun violence. I was always impressed with the range of guests they’d bring on from former police to kids on the street who were living in the middle of it. They always struck me as trying to foster a legitimate discussion and not ramrod down some pre-convinced opinion.

Another thing to keep in mind because when election time comes local politicians love to point at Harrisburg and say we can’t do anything because they don’t let us when in reality there’s been no change to PA gun laws since the 90s and in fact PA is stricter than many states because the private sale of handguns from one person to another legally requires a federal background check.

So if you look back to the low murder stats during the Nutter administration and ask what was the difference, the answer is not that the laws have been loosened up making it easier to legally buy a gun. Also the upward trend during Kenny’s term started before Covid hit, since that guys loves blaming Covid for damn near everything.

15

jbphilly t1_jaj94jt wrote

>Also the upward trend during Kenny’s term started before Covid hit,

Also the upward trend began before Kenney's term (and, notably, before Krasner's). FWIW

5

Minqua t1_jains7h wrote

The difference is the people that are living in Philly have gotten worse. The guns arent bad, the petusing them are. There seems to be a real lack of any value or respect on life. Every shooting you hear the same we need to stop the violence talk but nothing changes.

Violent criminals should never get out of jail but that ship has sailed in Philly. Its every’s fault but the criminals or some nonsense like that

4