District Attorney Krasner Statement on White House Action Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
CONTACT:
Jane Roh, 215–686–8711, Jane.Roh@phila.gov
PHILADELPHIA (April 8, 2021) — Following is District Attorney Larry Krasner’s statement on President Biden’s announcement of a comprehensive action plan to prevent and reduce gun violence:
“Solving a complex problem such as gun violence begins with correctly naming it, which President Biden has: Gun violence is a public health epidemic that is claiming futures and lives in cities across the country, disproportionately impacting Black and brown Americans. I both welcome an evidence-based federal response to this epidemic and am very hopeful it will succeed, because we now have a White House and a U.S. Department of Justice that is clear-eyed and serious about addressing the plague of gun violence in our communities.
“I am proud of my office’s 85% conviction rate for shooting homicides [pre-pandemic, before courts closed], but the vast majority of shootings and gun homicides are not resulting in the arrest of shooters. We cannot hold accountable individuals we do not have in our custody. Additional support from federal law enforcement agencies to help local law enforcement bring shooters to justice is welcome. Gun violence has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic hit last spring as dramatically as arrests for shootings and homicides have dropped. Absent a magic wand to make all firearms disappear, we must support Philadelphia Police in getting the non-fatal shooting clearance rate way up from 15% and the shooting homicide clearance rate way up from 27%, so that offenders and conspirators actually face consequences and are brought to justice.
“President Biden and the Justice Department’s plan to crack down on ‘ghost guns’ is absolutely needed, and there should be no partisan debate about it. Giving people the ability to purchase in bulk deadly weapons without trackable serial numbers — no government ID needed — is insanity. It is simply common sense to make sure all firearms are regulated and traceable, and that they be kept out of the hands of people who have no business accessing deadly weapons — whether due to criminal histories, reported domestic abuse and stalking, mental health diagnosis, or any number of factors that make gun ownership unsafe for some individuals.
“There is no rhyme or reason for what makes victims of gun violence — they are people who shop for groceries, go to concerts, watch TV, play basketball or softball — but there is one universal factor: a gun. Similarly, people who engage in gun violence come from every kind of background — they are children, seniors, have lengthy criminal histories, have no criminal history at all, they are university professors, they are former pro football players. The only thing they all have in common is a gun.
“I also enthusiastically welcome the Biden Administration’s evidence-based approached to addressing gun violence: law enforcement cannot solve this alone, and community violence intervention programs have been badly underfunded, here in Philadelphia and across the country. A $5 billion investment for programs like Cure Violence, wrap-around service providers, and blight remediation would be transformative in our hardest-hit neighborhoods, which also happen to be our most perpetually disinvested communities overall.”
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually.
