Twenty-odd years ago, when Minnesota and the nation were in the midst of the worst wave of violent crime since the Depression, quite a few jurisdictions – working with groups like the NRA – actually did something useful; they passed a raft of laws enhancing the penalties for using a gun in a crime.<\/p>\n
The laws have had an effect; they are certainly part of the reason violent and gun crime\u00a0dropped 50% in 20 years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But in Minnesota, we have a congenital problem; our metro area legislators, courts and other jurisdictions\u00a0just don’t like sentencing people<\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0It was said that three consecutive Ramsey County attorneys – Tom Foley, Sue Gaertner and John Choi – between them never once actually used those sentence enhancements, dealing them away on plea bargains\u00a0every single time<\/em> they had the opportunity.<\/p>\n And the pattern continues,<\/p>\n Earlier this year, we featured the story of a Good Guy with a Gun – an employee at a cell phone store who shot a robber with his permitted handgun.\u00a0 \u00a0The robber – once he got out of the hospitals – drew a raft of charges.\u00a0 \u00a0His accomplice\u00a0should\u00a0<\/em>have as well.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, what do you suppose happened?<\/p>\n Charges have been dropped against a\u00a032-year-old man who was a suspect in connection to an armed robbery at a Verizon Wireless retailer in Inver Grove Heights, according to court records.<\/p>\n Records show Jamaal Marquie had three charges dropped, including aggravated first-degree robbery, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and possession of a firearm with a serial number removed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n