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Tuesday, March 22, 2022

DA Terry Houck on Youth Crime - "It's Guns, It's Gangs and It's Drugs"

Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck appeared before County Council last week. His main reason was to updating County Council on the 35 forensic interviews conducted at Lehigh County's Child Advocacy Center over the past year. These settings spare young children the indignity of several interviews about unpleasant topics. While he was there, he was asked about the reasons for youth crime. 

"The issue is guns, it's gangs and it's drugs," declared Houck. He said they are all related, but the "guns that these people are carrying around now are ridiculous." 

He said police see kids as young as 13 carrying guns they need two hands to pick up. 

He said kids, from their teens to their late 20s, just fail to understand the "grave, grave nature of pointing a gun and shooting it.  They're not getting it."

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Guns, gangs, drugs, AND bad (or absent) parenting. Lets not forget the role of the parent in all of this. The breakdown of the family unit plays a large part in today's societal problems. Too many times, fathers are allowed to walk away from their responsibilities and boys are left with less than savory role models. The cycle of guns, gangs, and drugs will continue until society takes a stand and demands more of so-called parents.

Anonymous said...

You Reap What You Sow, now live with it.

Anonymous said...

Im sure fathers are missing from the picture as well. We as a society do not encourage the traditional family structure anymore. There is a lot going on with a teenager and a father or father figure "could" help more than we know.

Anonymous said...

From my teenage years, I've used firearms and have carried weapons since my early 20s. I've never harmed myself or others - or broken any laws, because my dad taught me proper weapons handling and respect for the law. Hey wait a minute ....

Terry is blaming the symptom. Neither he nor anyone who knows better is willing to address the underlying disease of fatherless boys from out of wedlock births. Best way to be a gang banger is to be a male raised by a single woman who became pregnant out of marriage. Give up your body to some sperm donor who has no intention of fathering, and you've created the next generation of gang banger. Most understand this, but are afraid to say it out loud.

So lets keep blaming inanimate objects and not the living breathing souls who use them. Careless driver kills pedestrians - blame the car. That's what we're doing and why we'll not fix things anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

Nah, it's not guns. its parents, its parents, its parents! Stop coddling these criminals.

Anonymous said...

I am highly offended he used the term "gangs". Like Gavin Newsome he should have changed the word so nobody would be offended. Should be cancelled immediately if he doesn't apoligize. Dems rules not mine.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10430207/Gavin-Newsom-calling-train-thieves-organized-groups-referring-gangs.html

Anonymous said...

Start buying all of the guns and only let police investigators have guns. Then crime with guns will go down. We are a country with a ridiculously amount of guns, 11 guns per person! Sick.

No gun, no killing of innocent people and family members.

Anonymous said...

Wait it's the gun.... Two PSP troopers, god rest their souls, were killed on 95..blame the car. Get rid of cars. A plane crashed in china...blame the plane....a guy was killed in a forklift accident, blame the forklift. No need for any investigation. Never hear anyone say let's get rid of all the knives because people are stabbed to death. Just makes a person sound caring. Like they want to do something. And we all should . Place the blame where it belongs. In every case . Every case is different. But remember one thing with all the gun laws criminals still get their hands on them

Anonymous said...

Is it also welfare? How many of these juvenile criminals are in "families" collecting welfare? How many welfare siblings do they have? By how many fathers?

That might have something to do with it...

Anonymous said...

During his campaign Houck touted those infamous NRA taking points " We don't need new gun laws we need to enforce the laws we have, etc". He seems to be implying something different here. Wondering... does he sill believe we don't need any new gun laws? And if enforce of existing laws is the issue. Why hasn't he enforced them as the top law enforcement official in the county?

Anonymous said...

@12:15

Well, if guns are the problem, why don't we seem to have any closing time shootings at 3501 or Lehigh Country Club? Why no gang-related shootings among Swain School students? Why no armed robberies in the Parkway or West-End neighborhoods?

Clearly, as is readily to any intelligent person, taking guns away from aw abiding citizens in any fashion is not the answer, because there is no problem among them. Long incarceration for people who break gun laws is.

Anonymous said...

Years back there was a man and his wife who got in a fight about what they were having for dinner. He came home drunk and this obnoxious individual grabbed a frozen leg of lamb and through it at his wife, striking her in the head. Her fall added to the fact that she died. Now how do we stop this? do we ban frozen leg of lamb or do we ban alcohol. Guns are a part of our life. You're never going to ban guns and you can't legislate non violence.

Anonymous said...

"11 guns per person!"

Nah. There's nearly 1 per person (which is bad enough). You don't help your argument by stating utter nonsense.

Anonymous said...

I live in a large house on a leafy street in one of the northern townships. There are 19 homes in my development and I know 16 of my neighbors. Of 17 known households, 17 contain a legal weapon. I've heard one of the two new neighbors hunts. That would make 18. Yet, there is no gun crime in my neighborhood. Weird.

Bernie O'Hare said...

While you bray away with NRA talking points, I remember a time when that organization was very focused on educating gun owners and the responsible use of these killing machines. A 13-29 yo kid just does not get it. That was Terry’s point. No one is trying to take away your guns.

Anonymous said...

@4:10

Exactly. As I said, never a closing-time shooting at 3501 or Lehigh Country Club.

Never gang-related gun violence among Swain School students.

Never any armed robbers residing in the Parkway or West End neighborhoods.

Gee, why do you suppose that is?

Anonymous said...

Yes I want to take your guns away from you. That may even save your life.
How sick are Americans. We have the highest gun ownership in the world. Why?
Small penises?

Top 10 Countries with Highest Gun Ownership (Civilian guns owned per 100 people):
United States - 120.5
Falkland Islands - 62.1
Yemen - 52.8
New Caledonia - 42.5
Serbia - 39.1 (tie)
Montenegro - 39.1 (tie)
Uruguay - 34.7 (tie)
Canada - 34.7 (tie)
Cyprus - 34
Finland - 32.4

Anonymous said...

"While you bray away with NRA talking points, I remember a time when that organization was very focused on educating gun owners and the responsible use of these killing machines. A 13-29 yo kid just does not get it. That was Terry’s point. No one is trying to take away your guns."

Then save your tired, worthless, ineffective anti-NRA talking points and support proper gun handling and education for inner city youth. I remember when old racists like you thought blacks incapable of handling white people responsibility, like firearms. That was the original intent behind gun laws. Turns out, you're an old racist who still thinks that way!

BTW, I've never been nor don't ever expect to be a member of the NRA. To paraphrase Groucho, I don't belong to organizations who would have me as a member.

Anonymous said...

I want to be like all those countries: no abortions after 12 weeks and 100% voter ID requirement! No exceptions.

peterjcochran said...

Apparently some of your posters have never been to Kennesaw ,Ga. The gun is a mechanical device like a car or chainsaw. Unethical people are going to move here with all this development. They will show up a grandmas house ,and after they a shot , the press will state “he moved here to start a new life”. But he figured this place is Mayberry in comparison so he could do business with impunity. Well ,they get checked by rivals . Kennesaw, ga outside Atlanta,has almost no crime . Why do you think this is so?

Anonymous said...

Good old Pompous Houck!! Most arrogant person I ever saw.