Violent crime has been a huge issue since the pandemic. Things seemed to be fine when everyone was locked down, but the moment people found an outlet to get out of the house, it seemed like a lot of them lost their damn minds.

Now, of course, we’re knee-deep in a discussion on violent crime. Democrats tend to favor gun control as the only viable solution.

However, as an op-ed at the Washington Examiner notes, it’s really something else entirely.

Pennsylvania state representative Jordan Harris gave an impassioned speech last month on the floor of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives about the violent crime plaguing Philadelphia. He blamed bump stocks, the lack of universal background checks, and Republican subterfuge (among other things).

Harris blamed everyone and everything except the main problem: the failed left-wing criminal justice reform policies implemented by Larry Krasner, the city’s woke, Soros-funded district attorney.

“I’m asking the members of this chamber to take a look at ourselves because, in 2018, there was legislation to ban bump stocks that passed the judiciary committee, but it was never voted on the floor of this House of Representatives,” Harris said. “In 2018, there was legislation for universal background checks that failed in the judiciary committee in this very chamber. In 2021, there was a bill about constitutional carry that moved out of this chamber.”

Bump stocks? Really?

None of the city’s murders this year have been determined to be the result of bump stocks, nor, I am willing to guess, are any crimes anywhere. Bump stocks are extremely rare devices that make it easier to fire more shots from a rifle by altering the trigger mechanism. Nobody uses them in crimes. Even rifles, with or without bump stocks, are rarely used to commit murder. The national FBI expanded homicide data for 2021 suggest that at least 13 murders are committed with handguns for every killing involving a rifle. (Besides, rifles are just not practical for violent criminals in cities — you can’t conceal them on your person.)

OK, mild correction here, but bump stocks don’t alter the trigger mechanism. That’s why they were legal in the first place.

Beyond that, though, author Christopher Tremoglie is absolutely right about the weapons. Rifles aren’t generally used in most crimes. They get a lot of headlines, but most people who are the victims of “gun violence” are killed with handguns, not AR-15s or any other rifle.

Tremoglie continues:

These bills would have made no difference in Philadelphia. In contrast, Krasner is making a huge difference, and not for the better. Krasner lets one criminal after another go free with a wrist-slap, refuses to prosecute gun crimes, and lets violent and career criminals keep their eligibility to buy guns by routinely pleading them down from felonies to misdemeanors. There is no amount of legislation that could slow down crime so long as the current policies keep criminals on the street where they can continue to harm people.

It’s argued that sentencing guidelines do two things. One is to deter crime and the other is to remove dangerous people from society for a time.

Krasner’s actions negate both of those. Granted, I’m not convinced prison is a deterrent, but others are. However, it can’t be if no one fears going because the DA will let them walk.

You cannot be overly lenient on criminals and then be surprised when the exact same people keep ending up in handcuffs.

I’m all for making it easier for people to not ruin their lives over a single mistake, but what DAs like Krasner are doing isn’t that. They’re essentially making it far more likely that criminals will continue to offend.

These aren’t people who made a simple mistake. They didn’t pay their full debt to society and now just want to move on with life. They’re criminals who aren’t going to stop being criminals because they got the slap on the wrist.

Krasner and people like him are fueling the surge in violent crime and anyone with eyes can see that.