Violence in Baltimore City Hall as Council Members Discuss Gun Control

Violence erupted in Baltimore City Hall on Tuesday as council members talked of addressing gun crime with more gun control.

Two people were arrested during the mayhem.

According to CBS Baltimore, city officials said, “[they are] trying to end the slow motion massacre on the streets of Baltimore by putting a gun law back on the books that says those found guilty of carrying an illegal gun will be given a mandatory year-long sentence.”

On July 7, 2017, WJZ reported that the gun crime is Baltimore had gotten so bad that the city’s murder rate was “more than double Chicago’s.” Breitbart News reported that this meant gun control had utterly failed Baltimore, just as it failed Chicago. After all, “high capacity” magazines were banned in 2013, yet police report that the criminal use of such magazines rose in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Moreover, a fingerprint and registration requirement was put in place for new handgun buyers in 2013, yet 2015 and 2016 were the two deadliest years in Baltimore’s history.

In the face of gun control’s failure, city council members were trying to pass one more gun law by re-instituting the mandatory sentencing for illegal gun possession. But opposition to mandatory sentencing was strong enough that the measure had to be watered down in order to pass.

For example, Councilman Brandon Scott (D-2nd) said he opposed the mandatory sentencing measure in any form. Once it was amended — so that mandatory sentencing only applies to the second offense — Scott said, “The amendments make the bill easier to stomach, it still doesn’t change the fact that I disagree with the bill in its entirety and its principles of mandatory minimums.”

But Councilman Eric Costello (D-11th) supported the measure, saying, “I have dozens and dozens of constituents who have reached out about this, and they are frankly sick and tired of people illegally carrying guns on the street and wreaking havoc on our communities.”

Violence broke out as the bill was being debated, with police clearing out a number of demonstrators and making two arrests. Council members then voted 5-2 to pass the measure, which means it will go to the next round of discussion.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.