Philly Mayor Kenney Signs Executive Order Banning Guns & Deadly Weapons From Recreational Spaces As Violent Crime Surges

Philadelphia just reached 400 homicides this year, and more than 1,000 carjacking. THIS YEAR. And it’s still September. So earlier this week, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order banning guns and other deadly weapons from Philadelphia recreational locations, both indoor and outdoor, including parks, playgrounds, basketball courts, and pools. There was a ceremonial signing of the bill the day after the full city funeral of Tiffany Fletcher, a 41-year-old mother of three who was killed outside the rec center where she worked when a 14-year-old shot at some other teenagers.

Mayor Kenney said in a statement,

“It is unconscionable that anyone would bring deadly weapons where our city’s children gather to play. We will not tolerate the endangerment of children and families while they are in the care of our treasured community spaces, and we must do everything we can to protect the public, as well as the dedicated staff that make these facilities run.”

Mind you, it was a child shooting at other children that killed Fletcher.

The executive order gives parks and recreational space workers the authority to call the police if they believe someone is entering the recreational space with a firearm, and police can then ask the person to leave. If they fail to leave the recreational space, they can be charged with trespassing.

An emotional Kenney said,

“If this gives them some protection, some peace of mind, some ability to call the authorities when some knucklehead decides they want to bring a gun into a rec center and they see it. That is part of what this is about.”

This really is for the safety of Philadelphia citizens. As violent crime surges in Philadelphia, it is in the best interest of public safety to hang signs around recreational spaces announcing the prohibition of guns and other deadly weapons in order to stop violent criminals from committing violent crime. Because one of the few things that can stop a violent criminal in his tracks is a laminated sign announcing “firearms and deadly weapons prohibited.”

The new law would also disarm law-abiding citizens, which is also good for the city’s crime rates. Otherwise the violent criminals would feel obligated to shoot the armed law-abiding citizens when they carjack, rob, assault, or rape them. But now, the unarmed citizens can be carjacked, robbed, assaulted, and raped without the violent criminals feeling like they need to shoot them, thus gun violence will presumably drop. Makes perfect sense.

Here’s a little taste of Philly for you, in case you wondered what it’s like these days.