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Posted on 10/27/2008 6:05:37 PM PDT by neverdem
OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha's City Council president plans to respond to the city's gun violence problem with a program of increased penalties, closer surveillance and higher awareness.
Dan Welch said he plans to put his anti-violence proposal onto next week's council agenda after working on it for months. He said it's already received endorsements of key city officials.
"We've got too much gun violence in the city of Omaha," he said. "We've got too many people creating trouble at all hours of the night."
His plan comprises six amendments to current city ordinances. Three are aimed at controlling disruptive crowds of people, and the others are designed to crack down on illegal guns.
"What we would like to do is get as many illegal guns off the street as possible," Welch said.
The gun-related amendments would require that no pawned firearm be returned to a person until it's registered, make the discharge of a firearm on public property punishable by a minimum of 30 days in jail and make carrying an illegal gun punishable by a minimum of 30 days in jail.
He said scenes of violence involving large crowds earlier this year were among the things that prompted him to act.
"I hope that people start to get the message," he said.
His plan already has the support of the Omaha Police Department and Mayor Mike Fahey.
"Tougher sentences, I think that's a great idea," Fahey said.
As the plan moves ahead, it does so with a wait-and-see attitude from community activists like Preston Love Jr.
"I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt," Love said.
He suggested that Welch seek input from people in the area most affected by violence before going forward. He also said the proposed amendments would not address the heart of the issue.
"Yes, we want to get guns off the streets, but it's important to observe that the guns are only part of the problem," he said.
Copyright 2008 by KETV.com.
just googled it and it was rated one of the best towns to live in as a family
maybe this guy needs to ask this question
if you were a robber would you rob that house in that county knowing they have a gun or would you rob that house in the other county knowing they probably do not have a gun
me finks they would go for the house with no gun and no right to self defence
Councilman Dan Welch is actually a conservative.
“What we would like to do is get as many illegal guns off the street as possible,” Welch said.”
The key word is ILLEGAL!
“We should expect this from Moscow on the Missouri.”
I’m from Sioux City, 100 Miles north On the Muddy Mo. Our city motto was, “Flush the toilet, Omaha needs the water!”
Actually, there might be something to the Kennesaw argument here.
The city should organize a volunteer militia, that would be trained by the police in proper gun use, issued weapons and CC licenses, and asked to routinely carry their weapon and a cell phone when going about their business.
Special emphasis should be used to recruit people from those neighborhoods with greater gun violence. And in some circumstances, to have citizen watch patrols in those neighborhoods. In this case, the initial impact to be to push street crime off the streets, so for several weeks, there would be increased police presence as well in support of the patrols.
Importantly, street criminals usually have few resources, so if they are pushed off the street, they have to move on or run out of money. And once a neighborhood has been “cleaned”, it is much easier to keep crime free.
Trust me, you don't want to come back to Kansas City. With the crazy Mayor ignoring the existing infrastructure problems and the soaring crime rate in order to pass a ~starter~ light rail line, you're probably better off where ever you are.
Good, now go to your local FFL dealer and buy a new one (or via a private sale). Help support the economy.
Kennesaw
Kennesaw GA. There is no crime of any significance there.
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