District Attorney Larry Krasner called for gun control on the national level following a mass shooting that left three people dead and 11 other wounded in Philadelphia Saturday evening but he was quickly reminded that it is his office who has deprioritized going after criminals using firearms.
"Boycott NRA lobbyists, boycott NRA donations, and bring real common sense gun regulation to Pennsylvania. Now," Krasner tweeted on Sunday. He also called for more funds to go towards new crime lab.
The terrible crimes last night on South Street tell our Pennsylvania legislators it’s time for real action. Boycott NRA lobbyists, boycott NRA donations, and bring real common sense gun regulation to Pennsylvania. Now.
— DA Larry Krasner (@DA_LarryKrasner) June 5, 2022
Philly needs $50 Million now for an improved PPD crime lab. And PA has Billions to fix it. (2/2)
— DA Larry Krasner (@DA_LarryKrasner) June 5, 2022
Moments before the shooting last night @NBCPhiladelphia @6abc. Hundreds of kids running on cars dancing on cars. The restaurants had to move their patrons inside. We were locked inside for quite some time due to all the fights around us… 2/2 pic.twitter.com/XdWHY236Oa
— Geoff Ford (@Geoffrey_Ford14) June 5, 2022
Users on Twitter pointed out how Krasner does not aggressively follow through on criminals who are arrested for gun-related crimes.
How about doing your job?
— Kerry Picket (@KerryPicket) June 5, 2022
"Philly gun arrests are on a record pace, but convictions drop under DA Krasner"
"Police are on pace to make 3k arrests this year for carrying a gun illegally, a record, but the people charged are less likely to be convicted."https://t.co/CSaHhO9k9g https://t.co/V6mrT5qxJh
Some context on gun prosecutions in Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/emz2pbX3Tv
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) June 5, 2022
— Max+ (@MaxNordau) June 6, 2022
In Philadelphia, there have been 218 homicides so far this year, with the majority being from firearms. Last year, there were 562 homicides, an increase from 2020. The Philadelphia Police reported in 2021, there were a total of 2,326 shooting victims, a 3.9 percent increase from 2020. Krasner has been district attorney since 2018.