MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Political analyst and commentator Otis Sanford shared his point of view on the newest poll from the Memphis Shelby County Crime Commission.
If anyone ever doubted that Memphis and Shelby County residents consider gun violence a major public issue, a new poll commissioned by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission will dispel that notion.
Whether you live inside Memphis or in the suburbs – whether you’re white or black - you care deeply about public safety and you want policy makers to do more to improve it.
That’s the message I got from the crime commission’s second annual poll – conducted Sept. 18th through the 22nd. Overall, respondents said the pandemic is this community’s top issue. But when the questions turned to public safety, gun violence was clear and away the biggest concern.
It is also the toughest issue to address – primarily because we have a state legislature that constantly expands the possession of weapons in public. From allowing guns in vehicles to the latest move allowing people to carry weapons without a permit, our lawmakers have made curbing gun violence difficult, if not impossible. And the result is a 12% increase in the county’s major violent crime rate so far this year, compared to the same period in 2020.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Until our state lawmakers stop catering to the gun lobby – primarily the NRA – and start caring about average citizens who want safer streets, violent crime is unlikely to change. Hopefully, some of our lawmakers will read the poll results – and change their thinking.