More laws and less enforcement? Why?

With all the hullaballoo over guns in the Philadelphia Inquirer, you’d think a success story in the war against illegal gun trafficking would merit more attention than an inch and a half of text buried in a longer column on page B-7.
I mean, what better way to demonstrate the effectiveness of law enforcement in preventing illegal gun sales than placing this story on the front page? Even the headline — “West Phila. imam convicted of selling guns illegally” — seems compelling:

A federal jury convicted an imam from 52d Street Mosque yesterday with selling handguns and assault weapons from a clothing stand he operated in West Philadelphia.
Wayne Hogue, 47, of West Philadelphia, also known as Imam Wadir and Shahdeed Bay, sold 11 firearms between May 2003 until March 2004, according to prosectors. Evidence presented at the trial included numerous audiotapes of Hogue selling firearms to a confidential informant. He is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

Imagine, a man of the cloth, selling guns illegally! Isn’t that the sort of thing that used to at least be considered a scandal?
Considering that the Imam was already a convicted felon, the “one gun a month” law would not have stopped him from buying or selling guns, because it only covers purchases by legally qualified buyers.
Maybe Philadelphia needs more enforcement of existing laws than lobbying for new ones which simply place more restrictions on the law abiding.
The paradox here is that laws do not decrease crime, for the simple reason that the more laws are passed, the more crime there is. Is it necessary to be an economist to understand why?


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3 responses to “More laws and less enforcement? Why?”

  1. G. Weightman Avatar
    G. Weightman

    What if a priest, say from the Great Northeast, were caught selling guns out of the rectory? Would that merit a different Inquirer page placement?

  2. Eric Scheie Avatar

    You must have figured out that I love rhetorical questions!
    🙂

  3. G. Weightman Avatar
    G. Weightman

    Just so. I visit this website every day, and am always mildly astonished at how prolific you are. It appears that your work is getting more of the recognition it deserves. Congratulations.