Janet Powell, described as "a Philadelphia funeral director for 22 years," is calling for federal help in solving Philadelphia's homicide rate:

"There's nobody taking care of the inner-city conditions in this country. It's almost as if it doesn't matter."

She called for studies to get to the root of the problem and for the federal government to step in with help.

Other than help find the killers if they have jurisdiction, I'm not sure what the feds can do. I don't think it helps when local authorities consider it "devastating" that a triple murderer might have to go to prison for life. (I hate to sound heartless, but I consider it a relief.)

Last weekend, 16 year old Luis Navarro was killed for a new dirt bike his mother had given him for his birthday. The story was on Monday's front page, headlined "Killed on the bike he loved."

I don't think I'm the only person in the area who wants to see these crimes solved, and I wish there was more focus on solving them and locking up the perps, because it strikes me as basic logic that the people who commit the crimes are the primary cause of the crimes they commit. For whatever reason, that is not an idea shared by the powers that be around here.

I was delighted to see that a suspect was arrested in the Navarro case. While news of the arrest didn't make the front page, it was a very thorough story, and it described how the suspect was caught:

Chief Inspector Joseph Fox said that Smith did not know the victim and killed him Saturday evening because he wanted the teen's $3,000 Kawasaki motorcycle.

The break in the case came Monday when a citizen saw Smith and two other teens moving a motorcycle covered with a tarp in Summerdale, about a mile from the park, Fox said.

He said the man saw part of the bike and recognized it as the one being sought in the murder case.

The citizen then called 25th District Police Officer Jose Tirado, who said he knew the tipster through his community policing efforts, and alerted him to what he saw.

Tirado and Officer John Stokes went to the 800 block of Marcella Street, saw the three, and chased them into a house, where they were taken into custody.

Inside the house, police also found a handgun believed to be the murder weapon, Fox said. The gun is being traced to determine its origins.

Smith has not made a statement, but Fox said he had been "bragging" about what happened to others.

Smith, who has had run-ins with the police in the past, stopped Navarro at gunpoint, the chief said. Navarro tried to push the gun away, and Smith allegedly fired twice.

Navarro tried to ride off, but Smith fired again, hitting the victim, Fox said.

"There is some indication he may have fired another shot directly into the victim as he lay on the ground," Fox said.

He contrasted the help provided by the tipster with the actions of the mother of one of the youths "involved in this incident" who knew the cycle was in her house.

She "told her son repeatedly to get the bike out of the house - 'that bike belongs to that dead kid,' " Fox said. But she did not call police.

"I don't know what that says about the status of some of the parents in some of these cases," Fox said. "You can draw from it what you want to draw."

The woman and the other teens have not been charged. Fox said the investigation was continuing.

Some people are bad. Why can't that be admitted?

While the story of the arrest didn't make the front page, the mom's remark seems to be attracting a bit of interest as national news. An MSNBC headline reads "Police: Adult Told Teens To Get 'Dead Kid's' Bike Out Of House."

As usual, these stories fuel the clamor for gun control, but what's conveniently overlooked never seems to merit press ink: the guns were illegal.

While it was mentioned that triple-murder suspect Vonzell "Pooh" Roundtree "had three previous arrests for firearms and drug charges" and that "in 2002, he pleaded guilty to carrying firearms without a license and was sentenced to three years of probation," nowhere is it pointed out that by being a convicted felon he is subject to 24 hour a day stringent gun control measures. The mere possession of a gun by him is a felony.

Likewise, 16 year old Eric Smith is also subject to gun control. He is not allowed to carry a gun because he is a minor. I'm not sure what "run-ins with the police in the past" might mean, but if he was adjudicated delinquent, he is also not allowed to possess a gun for that reason. Carrying a loaded weapon in public without a permit is also prohibited, as is carrying it in a vehicle. If his parents were felons and they possessed the gun, there are more gun crimes.

In the midst of all the clamor that guns are the problem, why aren't these violations of the gun laws taken more seriously? As it is, they're not even being reported.

It is beyond dispute that existing gun control laws aren't being obeyed by the people who are doing most of these shootings (or their mothers). The most obvious explanation is that criminals can't be expected to obey the law.

I wish someone could explain to me how that's an argument for enlarging the class of criminals.

MORE: To be fair, Philadelphia's next mayor, Michael Nutter, while a gun control proponent, at least makes the connection between felons and illegal gun possession:

Nutter has watched in horror with the rest of Philadelphia at the skyrocketing murder rate. He thinks police should be able to stop and frisk known felons for weapons.

"We should take illegal guns away from people who should not have them," he said.

You'd almost think existing gun control laws were being kept secret.

UPDATE: Via Pajamas Media, common sense from Friendly Fire:

Is this really so hard to fathom? More criminals behind bars means fewer criminals on the streets. Fewer criminals on the streets means less crime.