tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post114204888904922610..comments2023-10-24T11:05:25.288-04:00Comments on Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events: Police Chief Talks Teen Gun ViolenceMark Rauterkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157914569686528007noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1142048928229895662006-03-10T22:48:00.000-05:002006-03-10T22:48:00.000-05:00Police Chief Talks Teen Gun ViolencePOSTED: 4:39 p...<I>Police Chief Talks Teen Gun Violence<BR/><BR/>POSTED: 4:39 pm EST March 10, 2006<BR/>UPDATED: 6:33 pm EST March 10, 2006<BR/><BR/>Email This Story | Print This Story <BR/><BR/>PITTSBURGH -- The following report by Paul Van Osdol first aired on Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m. on March 9, 2006. <BR/>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR/><BR/><BR/>A string of shootings involving local school-aged kids has left police and politicians searching for answers.<BR/><BR/>Pittsburgh Police Chief Dominic Costa said a big reason for the upsurge in violence is that it's never been easier for kids to get guns.<BR/><BR/>"We're getting a variety of guns from assault weapons to sophisticated weapons police carry," Costa said. <BR/> <BR/><BR/>Van Osdol: "Where are they getting them?"<BR/><BR/>Costa: "If we knew, we'd be getting them. If you ask a kid on the street, he can come back with a gun in an hour … $50 to $60, you wind up with a gun."<BR/><BR/><BR/>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR/>Podcast: Want to hear everything Costa had to say? Listen to Paul Van Osdol's complete interview. Click here. <BR/>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR/><BR/><BR/>On Friday, State Rep. Michael Diven proposed mandatory jail time for anyone caught with a gun within 100 yards of a school.<BR/><BR/>He also wants juveniles prosecuted as adults for having guns near schools.<BR/><BR/>"One of the things we want to do is send a clear-cut message that this is an adult crime and it will not be tolerated," Diven said.<BR/><BR/>Costa supports tougher laws and more cops walking a beat, but he said that alone is not enough.<BR/><BR/>"More cops on the street is not necessarily going to stop the shooting. It starts at home. I know when I was younger, I never got anything into the house without my mother knowing about it ... And that's what parents have to look at," Costa said.<BR/><BR/>Costa said parents whose kids are caught with guns should be prosecuted themselves.<BR/><BR/>Costa: "We need to hold parents accountable."<BR/><BR/>Van Osdol: "How do you do that?"<BR/><BR/>Costa: "Take them to court."<BR/><BR/>Van Osdol: "Arrest them?"<BR/><BR/>Costa: "The same way we do with truancy." </I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com