Cities across the U.S. are struggling to crack down on gun violence as lawmakers on Capitol Hill discuss tougher gun control legislation following the deadly school shooting in Texas weeks ago.
According to the Washington Examiner, many police departments had reported high numbers of gun-related cases in some Democrat cities.
The report cites liberal law enforcement policies as the main contributors as relatively few guns historically have been purchased in ways Congress wants to regulate with its latest gun control push.
A 2019 study by the Department of Justice found that only 7% of federal prisoners in possession of a firearm at the time of their crimes had purchased the gun from a licensed firearm dealer.
Additionally, police in Washington, D.C. confiscated about 2,400 illegal guns in 2021 but prosecutors in many cases declined to press charges despite shootings and murders have increased in the city.
Some cities are also having difficulties containing gun-related crimes. Portland, Oregon, for example, had seen 840 shootings but the Portland Police Bureau only filed 285 gun violence charges.
Discussions on gun control legislation were reignited after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last month, killing 19 children and two teachers.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. Cecilia and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
Following the deadly shooting, President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to pass more gun control laws and stand up against gun lobbyists.
“As a nation, we have to ask when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris also called on leaders to take action while speaking at an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.
“Enough is enough,” Harris said. “As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again.”
