By Steve Macko
A recent study by the United States Department of Justice has found that almost one out of every four persons arrested for weapons offenses were juveniles. The report also indicated that weapons crimes are the fastest growing youth crime. 23 percent of all weapons crime arrests in 1993 were juveniles. In 1974, juveniles made up 16 percent of weapons arrests. Between 1985 and 1993, the number of juvenile weapons arrests more than doubled from being less than 30,000 to more than 61,000. In the same time period, adult arrests for similar crimes rose by about 33 percent.
The statistics don't get better ... between the years 1988 and 1992, juvenile weapons violations increased by 86 percent. That was more than any other type of juvenile offense. There has been a dramatic surge in violent youth crimes in the last three years.
On November 12th, President Clinton made a statement regarding the DOJ study. The President said that the statistics were "a chilling reminder" that violence by juveniles is the top crime problem in the United States. He said, "Now is not the time to weaken out laws." That last statement was made in regards for the calls of black leaders, such as Jesse Jackson, who are calling for the reduction of crack cocaine sentences because, in their estimation, too many blacks are being incarcerated for the offenses.
Violence by teen-agers with guns has been rising steadily since 1985, even though the number of teen-agers has declined. Currently, there are about 24,000 homicides committed in the United States every year. Guns are used in the vast majority of the murders. The number of homicides has grown. In comparison, there were 11,000 murders committed in the U.S. in 1961. John Douglas, recently retired official from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he implememnted the famed criminal profile unit, said in a interview on Friday evening that it is expected that the number of homicides will dramatically increase between the years 2005 and 2010. The main reason for the increase will be sociological. We are today sowing the seeds of the killers of tomorrow because of the breakdown of values, families, religion and morals.
Attorney General Janet Reno said in the early part of this month, "If the last decade's trends continue unchecked, juvenile arrests for violent crime will double by the year 2010." This month, the Attorney General has allocated $8 million to six areas in the country that will test various ideas for reducing juvenile violence.
The ranking Democrat on the House crime subcommittee, Representative Charles Schumer of New York said that the recently released figures are "frightening and show government at all levels isn't doing enough. Thirty years ago, Americans wouldn't imagine 14-year-olds would have easy access to guns."
Are more laws the answer to this serious problem? Probably not.
The answer involves better parenting ... how does one legislate that?
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