Blame Republicans for High Crime Rates

In a letter to the editor, Patrick Gaspard argues that Republicans are misattributing a rise in gun violence and violent crime to decreased police funding and criminal justice reforms rather than to weakened gun laws.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Criminal Justice Reform, Gun Violence Prevention, Mass Incarceration, Policing +2 More

Re “G.O.P. Redoubles Efforts to Tie Democrats to High Crime Rates” (front page, Sept. 27):

Republicans’ misleading attacks against Democrats are intended to distract from their complicity in fueling a higher murder rate in America. While violent crime increased 28 percent from 2019 to 2020, gun homicides rose 35 percent. It’s clear that gun crime is a key driver of the national increase in violence. There’s a reason: Republican policies like permit-less carry make it easier for people to get and carry guns.

What doesn’t explain the increase in violence?

The above excerpt was originally published in the New York Times. Click here to view the full article.

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