It's the culture of violence, stupid

It's absurd that political mouthpieces in DC keep hammering away with the idea that they can control the actions of people at some future time with new laws today. That is the whole concept behind gun laws; make it harder for people to buy them by passing the laws, and maybe they will choose a life that does not include crime.

Nowhere is this concept more tauted than in DC. The problem with it? How about this story:

As the funeral for 21-year-old Ashley McRae at Walker Memorial Baptist Church in the 2000 block of 13th Street let out and cars lined up for the funeral procession, shots rang out, Collins reported.

People were getting into a car, presumably to join the funeral procession, when shots were fired at that car, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

Two cars sped onto U Street where more shots were fired. One car flipped onto its roof, and another crashed into a truck. The incident ended at 11th and U streets.

Just to make it abundantly clear what happened yesterday: at a funeral for a girl shot to death over a simple domestic dispute, gang bangers attending the funeral taunted one another to the point where they decided it was best to not let the funeral procession even get to the location to put the first shooting victim in the ground; no, it was best to get into a vehicular firefight on a busy street and flip cars and kill one another.

The Wild West is so yesterday folks. We're talking new age stuff now -- the Wild East. Obviously what is needed here isn't a change in the violent culture that nobody wants to talk about, but some new laws. Because nothing shows you're dead serious about keeping the peace like some fresh ink on the books at City Hall:

"We are absolutely fed up with this madness, which is present today, but it has been present before," said Graham, who returned from vacation when he heard about the shooting. "And we need new legal remedies."

Mmmmmm, yeah. I feel it now. Give me those legal remedies! Every DC citizen should post them on their door to show those pesky gang bangers that shooting up a funeral or terrorizing a neighborhood can land you a lifetime decade in the slammer! That'll show em'!!

Hey jackass!! Something tells me that "Mess with the best and serve like the rest!!!" doesn't quite send the hardcore message that you intended. So I can get this straight, in my head, you're suggesting that the laws barring criminals from murdering, attempting to murder, discharging firearms in the streets, shooting from a moving vehicle, etc., are not strong enough legal remedies? More are needed? Like what, exactly? Shooting from a Vehicle in the First Degree?

That's what the revolving door of DC's justice system reeeeeeally needs! MORE HINGES!!

"This resulted from a taunting," said Councilman Jim Graham. "This was a taunting at a funeral! And we have this kind of a serious consequence as a result.

"The young girl whose funeral was held today, she's dead because she was talking to somebody other than her boyfriend at a club. This is the level that we're dealing with right now in terms of the madness and insanity that permeates these activities."

"It's a continuation of a pattern of violence in this city that's gone on too long," Weaver said.

We need some seriously worded stuff here, like Class A Felony Taunting While Attending a Funeral. There's no time to lose!

Why oh why somebody, anybody, is not bringing up the fact that there is a cultural problem that very well may be the key to the front door of the violence problem. But let's not get into that! It's TOO HARD!

There is another way, and that's to stop letting the gang bangers out of prison like six frickin' times, giving them the chance to wreak havoc. Compare and contrast the outcomes of the justice systems separated by that muddy water and tell me what works. How about instead of giving a convicted violent felon the benefit of the doubt, you try giving him three times the maximum sentence. Scumbags who are behind bars have a hard time shooting up city streets and flipping SUVs, so I hear.