We recently wrote that it was time to “Nip it in the bud” in reference to gun fire going on in the community. Apparently folks don’t understand what that means. When my father said that, you realized that was the end of whatever was being discussed. Loosely, the phrase refers to plants. When you “nip it in the bud,” it ends that new growth. I am truely concerned that if we don’t take aggressive action on a current situation, someone is going to wind up dead.
Sunday night there were three incidents of guns being discharged in Magee. We were sitting at home that night around 8 p.m. and heard about eight shots. Seconds later another group of about eight shots. We called the police department to report the shots and were placed on hold. We could hear other reports of the same incident. We understand that was the first of three different incidents that occurred on Sunday.
The problem is that once the reports are made witnesses seem to disappear. This makes it difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs.
We spoke with police chief Chris Jones, who is well aware and concerned about the issue. He said it is compounded by the fact that so many witnesses to these activities are unwilling to come forward. He said there is little the department can do if no one is willing to cooperate. He is tasked with investigating these types of incidents where firearms are discharged but culprits act innocent when the police arrive.
He said the fact that he does not have a lot of officers on any given shift makes it more difficult when they are tied up with non-emergency situations where people are firing guns to get the police to respond. He said this creates a large amount of unnecessary paperwork taking time for true law enforcement emergencies.
He said the department has been able to make seven arrests associated with gun fire and that most people are unaware that firing a gun becomes a felony with serious potential penalties if that is done in a dwelling or automobile.
Another option is setting up roadblocks, but that tends to bother a lot of innocent people who are stopped. They are paying for someone else’s poor choices.
The unfortunate result is that this is going to occur when law enforcement is truely needed somewhere else and they can not respond because they are dealing with pointless gunfire. Imagine if it were a child or a family member who was needing help.
The Magee City Board has been in recent discussions with the police department about needs and requests to meet these on-going issues. However, this issue is not unique to the City of Magee. It is going on county-wide. If you want to know more about it, inquire with the Sheriff’s Department.
It has become the norm to settle disputes with gunfire and other such nonsense. A little “nipping” is required.
