Firing Back: San Francisco Bans Guns, But Won’t Charge Shooter in Homicide

Are we really reading this right? According to news reports the San Francisco prosecutor’s office won’t file charges against a suspect, who was arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of 50-year old German tourist Mechthild Schröer. And yet in San Francisco it is nearly impossible for a law-abiding citizen to actually own a gun!

According to The San Francisco Examiner this seems like a case that should be heard out:

“Police say Phillip Stewart, 18, is responsible for a barrage of bullets that careened off trash cans, light poles and a nearby restaurant, hitting three people. But the District Attorneys Office declined to file charges Tuesday because there was no positive identification of the shooter, according to a spokesman for the office.”

This is unbelievable beyond words, especially when you consider that in 2005 San Francisco voters enacted Proposition H, which called for a total ban on the manufacture, sale, transfer or distribution of firearms or ammunition in San Francisco. While this law was struck down in the San Francisco County Superior Court, obtaining a firearm remains tough in San Francisco.

So a couple of questions remain. First, how did this street thug obtain a gun? Could it be that this is just another example of how criminals will get guns even when law-abiding citizens cannot? But the bigger question is why this story is hardly making the mainstream news? Could this be that the media is as ashamed by this case as we are?