Washington state Dems cite ‘racial equity’ in push to reduce drive-by shooting sentence, but it gets worse

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

(Video: Fox News)

Liberals seem to have come up with yet an additional way to potentially usher in or maintain a crime-ridden dystopia in areas where they are in political control.

In the name of equity, two Washington state legislators want to lessen the judicial punishment for drive-by shootings. If passed, House Bill 1692, sponsored by Democrat state Reps. Tarra Simmons and David Hackney would no longer allow an additional criminal charge in a drive-by shooting murder case.

“It prohibits using a drive-by shooting as a basis for elevating a first degree murder charge to an aggravated first degree murder. The bill is also retroactive, lessening punishment for those already found guilty in drive-by shooting cases,” Seattle-area talk show host Jason Rantz explained in an editorial. “It even offers carve-outs to release felons from jail if they committed their violent act when they were under 21-years-old.”

Under current Washington law, defendants convicted of first-degree aggravated murder are subject to a mandatory life imprisonment sentence.

In the video clip embedded above, Rantz appeared on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday evening to discuss the proposed “drive-by equity” legislation with guest host Will Cain.

Cain introduced the segment by lamenting that “apparently enforcing the law against violent, drive-by shooters is somehow racist.”

“It’s not racist. But they say it’s racist because apparently it’s been used to go after drive-by shooters, as it was intended, and they just happen to be black… that’s the only argument they could try to make. But obviously, if someone is white and is committing a drive-by shooting, they, too, would be subject to the exact same law,” Rantz responded.

“So as it stands, this bill basically says it can no longer be considered an aggravating issue concerning a first-degree murder charge. Now the aggravating factor makes it a mandatory life sentence without parole. So instead, you would be hit with a Murder One charge, and that generally is 20 to 30 years punishment. It could be life in prison, but that generally doesn’t happen,” he continued.

“The funny thing about this is this particular aggravating murder charge, isn’t used very often. In fact, one of the lawmakers behind this, her name is Tarra Simmons, herself, by the way, a convicted felon who made it into the state legislature, she said it’s only been used once.

“I don’t necessarily think that that’s the case — this is something that’s not very easily trackable — but let’s say it was, in fact, just used once. That literally means it is not racist. It’s not being used to target black people, and this would have zero impact whatsoever on racial equity in the criminal justice system,” Rantz said. “One time does not mean it is a problem. In fact, the argument should be that we are not using it enough.”

Given these kinds of far-left agenda items, it’s no wonder perhaps that journalist Jason Whitlock, who is now with The Blaze, has reshuffled the letters representing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” to spell out DIE.

In response to a follow-up question from Cain, Rantz claimed that “the vast majority of drive-by victims shooting victims are black.”

“So if you’re going to tell me this is about protecting the black community, sorry, you’re not protecting the black community. In fact, the communities that are being impacted the most by drive-by shootings, which happen to be represented by David Hackney, the other state representative who is behind this bill, who won’t answer any questions about it, they’re the ones who have been asking, begging, for more help, including more policing to go after the rise in gun violence that south Seattle, in particular, has been experiencing over the course of the last two years,” he noted.

Cain concluded the segment by rhetorically asking why these lawmakers are so concerned “about the disparate impact on criminals” rather than on victims of crime.

It’s been said that the left often presumes their often-destructive theories are real and dismisses real-life experience as mere theory.

With second thoughts, some Democrat mayors and other elected officials in crime-ridden localities have, however, realized that their hostility to law enforcement, and other forms of pandering, has backfired and endangered their constituents. Some of these solons around the country have belatedly called for a re-funding and redeployment of the police.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Robert Jonathan

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

PLEASE JOIN OUR NEW COMMENT SYSTEM! We love hearing from our readers and invite you to join us for feedback and great conversation. If you've commented with us before, we'll need you to re-input your email address for this. The public will not see it and we do not share it.

Latest Articles