A Strange Criticism of Illegal Gun-Possession Prosecution.

A Strange Criticism of Illegal Gun-Possession Prosecution. By Jim Geraghty

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/a-strange-argument-against-prosecuting-for-illegal-gun-possessions/

Excerpt: The New York Times reports about concerns that the Trump administration is too tough on criminals who purchase or possess guns illegally. Urged by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to punish offenders as harshly and as quickly as possible, federal prosecutors have increasingly pursued low-level gun possession cases, according to law enforcement officials and an examination of court records and federal crime statistics. Mr. Amos’s conviction was part of the Justice Department’s broad crackdown on gun violence during the first 15 months of the Trump administration. Mr. Sessions’s approach has touched off a debate about whether he is making the country safer from violent crime, as he and President Trump have repeatedly vowed to do, or devoting resources to low-level prosecutions that could instead be put toward pursuing bigger targets like gun suppliers. “It’s a good idea to enforce the existing gun laws,” said Avery Gardiner, co-president of The Brady Campaign, a nonprofit coalition that works to combat gun violence. “That’s something prosecutors should do. But going only after the people who are purchasing the guns illegally is only part of the story.” Rarely will you see it put so explicitly! Of course, this is an argument from self-interest. If the problem of gun violence can be addressed sufficiently by enforcing existing laws . . . then there isn’t much need for a group like the Brady Campaign to push for additional laws, now is there?