Steve Forbes: The question concerns first the crime control, I think that, uh, when you want to focus in on crime, you have to start focusing in first on truth in sentencing. If a violent criminal commits a crime, say a sentence of ten years in jail, th e way the system works today is that person's usually out after two or three years. The same thing with the second violent crime. It's only in some states now with the third violent crime that you get the so-called three strikes and you're out life sent ence. My position is why should you get two violent crimes on the house so to speak. The book should be thrown at you the first time so that there might not be a second and third and fourth and fifth time. That, that, that's a good start. And if it me ans building more prisons, that's cheaper than having those people roam the streets.
There are other things that can be done in terms of, in terms of fighting drugs, in terms of the community policing. New York City now has a community policing approach, where instead of waiting for the nine eleven number they take a pro-active approach, if they see you now jumping the turn styles on subways, what do they do? They don't simply ignore it they give you a summons. And why do they give you a summons, cause they want the excuse to search you for a weapon. And so as a result this pro-active approach the murder rate in New York has fallen in the last two years over thirty-five percent. That is real progress.
So on gun control, waiving the second amendment we should concentrate on getting the guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them. If you're on parole or probation you should be subject to frequent searches, if you're a suspected member of a ga ng you should be subject to frequent searches. New York shows, if it can be done in New York it can be done elsewhere. That kind of pro-active approach is the real way to concentrate on guns and getting them out of the hands of those that shouldn't have them in the first place.