Americans were shocked this week to hear that two of New York’s Finest had been shot Wednesday, allegedly by a career criminal.
But rather than focus on the perpetrator, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is reportedly using the crime, which did not result in any fatalities, as an opportunity to call for more gun control.
“It’s another example of a gun from out of state, comes into our city, hurts a New Yorker,” de Blasio said at a press conference Wednesday, according to Fox News.
“This is something we’ve got to deal with in a whole different way,” he added. “But in the meantime, thank God that there is one more shooter off the streets because of the bravery of these just absolutely extraordinary officers.”
“They’re not afraid”
Speaking with Fox, Patrick Lynch, who serves as president of NYC’s Police Benevolent Association, agreed that the presence of illegal guns is a problem, but suggested there’s a bigger issue: criminals have become more brazen about using them.
“But perps aren’t afraid to carry them,” Lynch complained. “They’re not afraid to put it in their belt, put it in their pocket and pull it out on a police officer. That’s the problem.”
The victims of the latest shooting reportedly included a female officer who has been serving on the force for roughly one year, as well as her male partner, who was described as an eight-year veteran of the force.
The female officer is said to have returned fire and hit the suspect three times after she was shot in the arm. The male offer was reportedly hit in the armpit.
Both officers are in a hospital and expected to recover, Fox said. The suspect is also in a hospital, where his condition was recently “upgraded from serious to critical,” the network added.
Crime on the rise
It all comes as New York City has seen a massive upswing in violent crime over the last two years, with the New York Post reporting that the rate of violent crime rose 47% in 2020 alone.
New York Post columnist Nicole Gelinas argued in a piece last month that the carnage is largely due to left-wing politicians taking a soft-on-crime approach.
One policy that has been widely criticized is New York’s liberal bail reform law, which aims to reduce and eliminate cash bail requirements for the release of jailed arrestees facing criminal charges. Fox News reported this week that one of its beneficiaries shot a 13-year-old boy in the neck as he was walking on the street.
The post Bill de Blasio blames guns – not criminals – after 2 NYPD officers shot first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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