As least Fort Wayne officials -- so far -- aren't reacting to the recent homicides with an idea this bad:
When a rash of gun murders takes place, it makes sense for the police to do one of two things: renew tactics that have been effective in the past at curbing homicides, or embrace ideas that have not been tried before.
But those options don't appeal to Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis. What he proposes is a crackdown on assault weapons.
[, . .]
If there are too many guns in Chicago, it's not because of any statutory oversight. The city has long outlawed the sale and possession of handguns. It also forbids assault weapons. If prohibition were the answer, no one would be asking the question.
[. . .]
Why wouldn't a gun ban dry up the supply of firearms available to criminals? Three reasons: There are more than two million guns in private hands. They have a very long useful life. And it doesn't take many to supply the nation's bad guys with all the ordnance they need.
Whether it is banning guns or fighting illegal drugs or pouring money into anti-poverty programs, government often seems capable of doing only what it has always done, despite mountains of evidence that it hasn't worked.
