Big City Democrat Prosecutors Oversee Record Number of Shootings While Calling for National Gun Control

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Katherine Hamilton

Soros-backed prosecutors in Democrat-run cities are overseeing some of the highest shooting numbers in decades — all while leftist politicians argue for gun control and blame Republicans for violence.

Following the mass shooting of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, Democrats have been using the tragic event to push for “assault weapons” bans and other “reforms” ahead of midterm elections, with some even accusing Republicans of being responsible for the bloodshed because of their adherence to the Second Amendment. But a closer look at many Democrat-run cities — specifically those with soft-on-crime prosecutors funded by billionaire globalist George Soros — shows how leftist criminal “reform” policies correlate with more violence, not less.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who was elected in 2020, prides himself on reducing prison sentences, even as violent crime has soared in L.A. Upon taking office, Gascón took aim at sentencing enhancements prosecutors had been using to lengthen prison time for thousands of people accused of using guns while committing crimes or participating in gang activity, according to LAist.

LAist published a 2021 report showing prosecutors under Gascón had filed 731 gun allegations in the first six months of the year — a 63 percent decrease compared with the average of 1,973 recorded in the first half of the previous nine years. Subsequently, homicides in L.A. hit a 15-year high in 2021, and as of May 2022, people are being killed at a “slightly faster pace,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

“We certainly see instances of street violence that we tie into gangs, with a lot of ready and easy access to handguns and rifles,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in an interview with the Times. “It’s resulting in this loss of life and this high frequency of shootings.”

Gascón also announced soon after he was sworn in that his office would not seek cash bail for defendants charged with misdemeanors and non-serious, non-violent offenses. However, now that he is facing an aggressive recall election, he has backtracked on his cash bail policy and announced that he will allow prosecutors to request bail in some cases.

Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School, Gascón tweeted his condolences while simultaneously pushing for gun control. He made no mention of his own record of being lenient on gun crimes.

“We must address the proliferation of guns that do not make us safer but instead end up in the hands of dangerous people who commit these unspeakable crimes,” he wrote in part.

(Chicago) Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx — best known for her intervention in the Jussie Smollett case — has taken a similar attitude as Gascón when it comes to gun crimes. In 2021, Foxx accused the Chicago Police Department (CPD) of arresting the wrong people to curb gun violence, according to WBEZ Chicago. Her office held a webinar for journalists showing an increase in arrests of people without prior convictions who were caught illegally carrying a gun.

“The evidence doesn’t show that the drivers of the violence are the people who’ve been arrested for nonviolent gun offenses,” wrote Sarah Sinovic, a spokeswoman for the office, referring to illegal possession of firearms. “State’s Attorney Foxx has long said we need to invest more in violence prevention and a more holistic approach to address the root causes of violence.”

According to records kept by the Chicago Sun Times, 760 people were shot and killed in Chicago in 2021, and 218 people have already been shot and killed in 2022.

Foxx also addressed the Uvalde shooting on May 25, calling for an end to “gun violence across the country.”

“As a parent, I am heartbroken and horrified by the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. Schools should be a safe space for our children. We must do more to stop gun violence across the country. My prayers are with the family and all of those affected,” she wrote.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner

Like his peers, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has also argued that prosecuting people for illegal gun possession will not curb violence.

“The notion that the way you’re going to solve shootings is arresting people for guns is missing the point,” Krasner told FOX 29 in March of 2022. “The way you solve shootings is arrest people for shootings. The way you solve homicides by gun is by solving homicides by gun.” 

At the time of the interview, Philadelphia had already surpassed 100 murders this year. Notably, Philadelphia saw 562 homicides in 2021 — “the most in the city’s history” — NBC reported. Breitbart News noted on December 27, 2021, that the overall number of shooting victims in Philadelphia — fatal and non-fatal combined — was approximately 2,200. 

Krasner blamed the Nation Rifle Association (NRA) for “enabl[ing] massing shootings” following the Uvalde shooting. He also accused “craven” local Republican lawmakers for holding up “common sense gun safety legislation,” adding that “we all see that the blood is on their hands.”

In his Twitter rant, Krasner did not mention the record shooting and murder rates going on in his own city or his soft-on-gun crime policies.

(New York) Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg began his term just this year and has already begun backtracking on some of his soft-on-crime policies, which turned out to be wildly unpopular. Soon after being sworn in, he banned pre-trial incarceration for all but homicide and a few other offenses. He had also instructed prosecutors to “avoid seeking jail time for certain crimes including robbery, assault, and gun possession,” the New York Times reported in February. After backlash, he sent an email to his staff calling the directive “a source of confusion rather than clarity.”

In mid-May, NBC New York reported that gun violence in the lower part of Manhattan had hit a 25-year high, with incidents up 31 percent. Soon after Bragg was sworn in and started releasing criminals, former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Daniel Ollen told the New York Post that Bragg’s policy gave criminals the opportunity to re-offend.

“Bragg’s policies are an affront to every law-abiding citizen in New York City,” said Ollen, who is now a defense lawyer. “Violent criminals now have carte blanche to re-offend, knowing full well that they will never again sniff the inside of a jail cell.”

“If you thought things couldn’t get any worse, think again. God help us,” he continued. 

Bragg prompted Congress to “act” following the Uvalde shooting, and a few days later, he pointed to a story about how he is reportedly “arraigning more people for 2nd degree weapon possession.”

“If you bring guns to Manhattan or use them on our streets, we will hold you accountable,” Bragg said.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Twitter.

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