Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney wants the United States to be more like Canada.
“I was in Canada two weeks ago and never thought about a gun,” he said. “The only people I knew who had guns in Canada were police officers.”
“That’s the way it should be here,” Kenney stated.
Kenney was reacting after a shooting at a Fourth of July event on Monday evening resulted in two police officers being injured. Both officers were released from the hospital a few hours later.
Kenney also suggested he would unilaterally strip citizens of the right to own firearms — if he had the authority to do so.
“If I had the ability to take care of guns, I would,” he said. “But the legislature won’t let us. Congress won’t let us. The governor does the best he can [and] the attorney general does the best he can, but this is a gun country.”
“It’s crazy,” Kenney added. “We’re the most armed country in world history and we’re one of the least safest (sic)
“Until Americans decide that they want to give up the guns and give up the opportunity to get guns, we’re going to have this problem,” he told reporters.
Mr. Kenney had a very hard time getting into the spirit of the holiday.
The mayor, who was wearing a soccer jersey, was then asked if he was concerned large social gatherings or sports events could be subject to gun violence.
“I don’t enjoy the Fourth of July,” the mayor responded. “I didn’t enjoy the Democratic National Convention. I didn’t enjoy the NFL draft. I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time.”
It’s unclear at this point whether the officers were targeted or whether the bullets were fired off in celebration of the holiday. A 36-year-old Philadelphia police officer was grazed in the forehead and a 44-year-old Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy was grazed in the shoulder. Both officers have been released from the hospital.
Kenney’s frustration is understandable but hardly relevant. Police officers wouldn’t be the only ones with a firearm. Even in Canada, criminals also carry firearms. Here, the thought of armed criminals preying on an unarmed populace is hard to bear.
Recommended: The Trouble With Do-Somethingism on Guns
So we’re stuck with a lot of guns in America. Here’s a brilliant idea; instead of passing a lot of useless gun laws like the one passed last week by Congress, why not just enforce the laws already on the books? If you want to save lives, enforcing current laws on gun responsibility and gun ownership would do far more than a silly mandatory registration law.
But that’s not an option for a guy like Mayor Kenney, who just isn’t comfortable unless he’s in control.
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