Temple University officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed while investigating a carjacking. The officer had reportedly chased the suspect on foot and just ordered him to the ground when shots rang out. According to local media, the alleged shooter began to run after Fitzgerald was shot but then allegedly tried to steal the officer’s firearm.
The suspect, 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer, was taken into custody the next morning. As of last report the firearm used to kill Fitzgerald had not been recovered, and its source is unknown.
Kenney, understandably upset by the horrific shooting, joined other city officials Tuesday in providing further details on the incident. After expressing his condolences to the Fitzgerald family, the mayor took aim at what he considered to be the lax state of gun laws.
“It is simple, too easy to access weapons in our state and in our region. And that turns too many confrontations into fatal encounters, like an argument over a parking space. We are fighting an uphill battle and it doesn’t have to be this way. I will continue to call on state lawmakers for sensible gun reforms that will protect our city’s residents including the brave men and women who have taken an oath to protect the peace.”
Kenney went on to admonish gun rights supporters. “You can say you back the blue, but if you don’t back gun control and gun availability, you don’t back the blue. We owe it to them to do everything we can to stop this nonsense and stop this tragedy.”
There is no doubt that emotions run high in the aftermath of the tragic killing of a police officer or anyone else. But blame needs to be assigned to the perpetrator, and randomly targeting constitutional rights as a solution is misguided at best.
As could be expected, Twitter exploded with condemnation for the mayor’s call for additional gun control in a city that already heavily regulates firearms.
One user derided Kenney as the mayor “who brought back 90s crime rates to his city” and is now blaming everyone but himself.
Another criticized “the sounds of a failed mayor looking to cast blame for rising crime under his watch.”
Still another slammed “the mayor of a crime-ridden city that has lots of gun control.”
Everyone is saddened by Fitzgerald’s death, and at a time like this emotions run high on both sides of the gun control debate. But it is tiresome to continually hear political leaders immediately call for stricter gun regulations while the facts of the case are still being gathered.
Kenney referenced an argument over a parking space escalating into something far more serious. In what way did that example relate to the apprehension of a carjacking suspect? Anyone who will arm themselves and forcefully steal a vehicle at gunpoint will not be deterred by a change in gun control laws.
The armed violent criminal does not stop to ponder the error of their ways simply due to legislators adding a longer waiting period or a more intense background check.
No. Those who prey on the innocent of society scoff at politicians enacting this or that restriction to keep them from committing evil acts. And it is high time that leaders, despite possibly good intentions, realize that there is nothing to be gained from disarming law-abiding citizens.
In fact, the opposite is true.
When the right to self-defense is stripped away under the guise of protecting civil society, the only winners are the criminal element. The Second Amendment is an essential part of every American’s personal liberties — whether they choose to exercise it or not — and it deserves the protection and support of all.
