ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 26, 1995 TAG: 9512270006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
VIRGINIANS who have discounted evidence of the gun lobby's influence over state politicians may want to consider a curious omission in the reports of two task forces on juvenile crime.
The two panels - one Republican-oriented; the other, Democratic - spent months studying ways to reduce juvenile crime. While producing dozens of recommendations, neither addressed the issue of guns.
Surprised? Don't be. The National Rifle Association and other pro-gun organizations enjoy considerable clout in Richmond, and are big contributors to compliant office-holders' campaigns. Politicians know which side of the bread is buttered - and by whom.
Among facts that both the Governor's Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform and the legislative Commission on Youth chose to ignore:
nA gun was used in 74 percent of the 49 cases in which juveniles were convicted of murder (as adults) in Virginia in 1993.
nGuns were used in all 15 Roanoke slayings that involved teen-age defendants or victims in the past six years.
In Richmond, where violent juvenile crime is of acute concern, a city Youth Services Commission study discovered this:
Among Richmond's sixth-graders, 23 percent said they had access to a gun; 38 percent said they had seen someone shot; 12 percent said they had carried a gun or knife to school; 18 percent admitted having threatened someone with a weapon.
The city panel strongly stressed that availability of guns must be curtailed if juvenile violence is to be brought under control. For starters, it recommended that lawmakers repeal the law passed this year that makes it a cinch for virtually anyone over 21 to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Of course, the legislature didn't intend for the new concealed-weapon law to put guns in the hands of children. Still, it's hard to believe that looser gun laws and wider availability don't ultimately make gun possession easier for juveniles.
Politics being what it is, Richmond's proposed repeal of the concealed-weapons law likely will be shot down shortly after the legislature convenes on Jan. 10. In all the discussion that will ensue about juvenile crime, few will want to discuss the matter of guns.
LENGTH: Short : 48 linesby CNB