By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Crime is a valid concern for most people. We must be safe. But crime should not be politicized.
Per his website: “Representative Mike Collins (R-Ga.) of the 10th District, introduced a resolution condemning Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Councilman Charles Allen, and the rest of the government of Washington, D.C., for their failure to stop the crime epidemic plaguing the District of Columbia.”
There are numerous cities in Georgia with high crime rates. I do not live very far from College Park which has a violent crime rate of 1,559 per 100,000 people. The District of Columbia has a rate of 812/100k. College Park has a property crime rate of 7,199/100k versus DC at 4,367/100k.
In other words, the College Park violent crime rate is almost double that of Washington; the property crime rate is 165 percent higher. Does Collins think the Georgia state legislature should pass a meaningless resolution condemning College Park’s Mayor and City Council? Why not leave that to their voters?
Collins
Meanwhile, where Collins can make a difference, he has decided not to act. Rep. Collins is indirectly enabling violent crimes by his votes on reasonable gun control, supported by most Americans (including many GOP voters).
In June, Collins voted to prohibit the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from regulating “stabilizing braces.” Such pistol braces have been used in numerous mass shootings. Collins cited the Constitution, but that document says nothing about letting civilians using such braces…especially civilians without background checks.
In Georgia, guns can be bought and sold at “gun shows” with no background checks. If Collins is concerned about lowering crime, why hasn’t he supported mandatory national gun background checks? The Constitution clearly does not prohibit reasonable background checks to prevent felons and the mentally ill from owning assault rifles.
Nowhere is Collins’ position stated more clearly than in a 2022 debate at the Atlanta Press Club. He indicated he opposed “red flag” laws, designed to remove guns from the mentally unbalanced and others who are violent. Collins stated that- “we do not have a gun control problem in this country.” Instead, he advocates for more Godliness as the solution to gun violence and even arming our schoolteachers.
However, states which are the most religious also have the biggest problem with firearm deaths. On the second point, only 20 percent of teachers believe that carrying guns would make schools safer and only six per cent strongly favored that policy. Most teachers think that carrying guns would make schools less safe.
In fact, most Americans disagree with Collins’ extremist Second Amendment position. Per polling, 60 percent of Americans believe that controlling gun violence is a more important goal versus protecting gun rights.
The underlying question is: “Why is Rep. Collins playing politics with crime”? The DC Mayor and the City Council are elected, just like Collins. It’s up to those voters to let them know if increased crime is an issue.
On crime, Rep. Collins is either uninformed or a hypocrite. Take your pick.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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