It is extremely difficult for the Philadelphia Police Department to effectively do their jobs due to budgetary cuts and changes, staffing shortages, city ordinances regarding new hires, and rising crime. These ongoing issues have caused Philadelphians to lose faith in the Criminal Justice System and created the desire for citizens to purchase firearms to better protect themselves.
In 2021, 70,800 Philadelphians applied for firearm licenses. This showed an increase of nearly 600% compared to the previous years. There were between 11049 to 11814 firearm license applications each year recorded from 2017 to 2020.
This rise in applications is believed to be parallel to a rise in violent gun crime and other gun-related crimes in Philadelphia. There was also a record number of homicides in 2021.
2019 and 2020 showed 356 and 499 homicides, respectfully, with a record-setting 562 homicides in 2021. Armed robberies are up 50%, and armed burglaries have increased by 30% compared to the previous year.
Although there has been an increase in crime, prison populations have decreased by 30%, largely in part by the current District Attorney prosecuting far fewer cases than previous attorneys- all the while insisting that Philadelphia is not experiencing an increase in crime.
Lack of acknowledgment will be disastrous for low-income and people of color in the city who are most impacted by violent crime. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away but rather force Philadelphians to legally purchase firearms to protect themselves and their families, which is evident by the record number of firearms applications submitted.
