When Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin was elected to office, you could hear the Democrats in Richmond’s screams all the way here in Georgia. They just knew it would be the end of all life on Earth or something.
They also figured gun control was no longer safe and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to pass more of it.
For them, it was as if there was nothing they could do to combat the violent crime surge we’re now experiencing throughout the nation.
Yet one of Youngkin’s efforts really is making a difference.
Two arrests were made, and firearms and drugs were seized as part of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Violent Crimes Task Force Initiative, Bold Blue Line in Petersburg.
From 5:50 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, Virginia State Police (VSP) troopers and Petersburg Police officers conducted a checking detail at the intersection of Puddledock Road and Industrial Drive.
According to authorities, two illegal handguns and illegal drugs were seized by law enforcement in just an hour and a half.
Now, I understand quite well that these are just two people arrested. However, Petersburg also only has around 33,000 people. We know good and well that most of violent crime is conducted by a tiny fraction of the population of any given community.
So taking two people off the streets in a smaller city makes a significant difference.
And the great thing about this is the task force focuses on criminals, not law-abiding citizens who are just trying to exercise their constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.
While anti-Second Amendment types routinely claim that the issue is guns, the truth of the matter is that the problem is and has always been people. If you deal with violent criminals appropriately, incarcerating them, you reduce the percentage of the population in a position and with an inclination to be violent.
It’s not rocket science.
Youngkin’s efforts should be obvious here. Arrest the bad guys and leave the good guys alone.
However, it seems to be the exception, not the rule in many places. Politicians there seem to think the way to get at the bad guys is to restrict the good guys. It’s absolute insanity, of course, but that’s where we’re at.
Virginia and Youngkin are focused in the right place.
It’s unfortunate that states like New York, New Jersey, California, and others of that ilk can’t do the same.
The truth is that focusing on arresting bad actors shouldn’t be controversial, nor should holding them accountable after the fact. These are people who have decided not to follow the law, for crying out loud.
It’s not the average American out there committing these crimes. It’s not someone who went to the gun store, bought a handgun lawfully, then suddenly gets overcome with the evil spirits within the weapon that drives them to murder.
That’s not how it works and everyone knows it.
It’s bad people doing bad things. Take away the gun and they’ll still do bad things. That’s just how it works, so focus on the bad people and leave the rest of us alone.
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