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Baltimore Gets Serious on Crime Control, and the Results Speak for Themselves

Monday, July 14, 2025

Baltimore Gets Serious on Crime Control, and the Results Speak for Themselves

As the mid-year mark of 2025 hits, a promising report on crime trends has come out of the City of Baltimore. Surprising news at first glance until you dig deeper into the policy direction the city is taking with not a single mention of gun control. Then it all makes perfect sense.

The city of Baltimore is reporting significant decreases in its midyear crime data showing a 22% decrease in homicides compared to this time last year, while nonfatal shootings were also down by 19%. The data goes on to show that shooting suspects are being arrested at higher rates, with a homicide clearance rate of 64% and a 44% clearance rate for nonfatal shootings, which is 20% above the department's 10-year average.

The City of Baltimore is crediting specific new policies for these reductions based on “qualitative and quantitative data” as cited by a Baltimore Police Department press release. While some will emphasize the city’s relatively strict gun control, that was also in place during the days of sky-high violent crime in Baltimore, when attempts to get through even one murder-free weekend were destined to fail. The difference now is smarter and stricter policing and enforcement.

Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates released an insightful statement on the direction of those new policies:

While some have criticized our office for moving beyond the policies of the previous administration, the progress we've made in reducing homicides in Baltimore tells a different story — one grounded in results, not rhetoric. By repealing ineffective non-prosecution policies, we've empowered our police officers to re-engage fully in the mission of public safety — not only as law enforcers, but as violence interrupters working proactively in our communities.

These truths about crime enforcement are certainly not new to the NRA community, as we’ve long reported on examples such as Washington, D.C. and its accidental epiphany.  Beyond the need to focus on enforcing existing laws rather than creating unconstitutional laws that only affect law-abiding citizens, there is an important need to focus work on deterring the people considered most likely to be involved with crime, specifically gun violence. See NRA-ILA’s previous alert on this topic for proven strategies for what works. Hint: It’s not layering gun control on top of gun control.

Forecasting crime is a tricky endeavor reliant on a vast amount of variables, but for certain, as more cities are confronted with facts rather than rhetoric on violent crime, it becomes undeniable that the soft-on-crime policies and anti-gun scapegoating are simply not solutions.  

Entering the second half of the year, the hope is that more failed gun control proposals fall off in favor of what is working and will work in other cities beyond Baltimore. Focusing on failed gun control models has absolutely sapped critical energy from the facts of crime control and public safety needs for far too long.  

While cities continue to work on the many pieces of the crime prevention puzzle, NRA-ILA continues to work tirelessly in every state to prioritize solutions that address real drivers of violence along with public safety policies based on facts and data, just as Baltimore appears to be doing so far to good effect in 2025.

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U.K. Police Target Gardening Tools, Salty Language

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Monday, August 18, 2025

U.K. Police Target Gardening Tools, Salty Language

Another week, another set of stories chronicling the sad demise of individual rights in the United Kingdom, where gardeners with pruning tools are treated like dangerous criminals and insulting crooks who plunder your store attracts more police attention ...

Supreme Court Review Sought in NRA-Backed Challenge to California’s Magazine Ban

Friday, August 15, 2025

Supreme Court Review Sought in NRA-Backed Challenge to California’s Magazine Ban

Today, a Petition for Certiorari was filed asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Duncan v. Bonta, a case—backed by the National Rifle Association and California Rifle & Pistol Association—challenging California’s prohibition on magazines capable of holding ...

NRA Files Lawsuit Challenging Massachusetts’s “Assault-Style” Firearms Ban

Thursday, August 21, 2025

NRA Files Lawsuit Challenging Massachusetts’s “Assault-Style” Firearms Ban

Today, the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners’ Action League, Pioneer Valley Arms, three NRA members, and another individual filed a lawsuit challenging Massachusetts’s ban on “assault-style” firearms.

El Paso County to Host Gun Turn-in Before State Ban

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

El Paso County to Host Gun Turn-in Before State Ban

On September 1st, gun turn-in programs will become illegal in the Lone Star State. These programs, often funded by taxpayer dollars, to purchase firearms from individuals have repeatedly failed to improve public safety, and have ...

Tolerating Crime was a Choice for District of Columbia Officials

News  

Monday, August 18, 2025

Tolerating Crime was a Choice for District of Columbia Officials

On August 11, President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital. Fed up with a violent crime problem that has long been tolerated, and perhaps obfuscated, by D.C. officials, President Trump chose to exert his considerable ...

Tenth Circuit Holds New Mexico’s 7-Day Waiting Period Unconstitutional in NRA Case

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Tenth Circuit Holds New Mexico’s 7-Day Waiting Period Unconstitutional in NRA Case

Today, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals held New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases unconstitutional in Ortega v. Grisham, a case brought by the National Rifle Association and Mountain States Legal Foundation, with the ...

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Monday, July 7, 2025

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed the Florida Budget for Fiscal Year 2025–2026, which includes a Second Amendment sales tax holiday from September 8 through December 31, 2025. The NRA is thankful for Governor DeSantis’ strong ...

Washington Post Admits that Anti-gun Lawfare “Cannot be the Solution” to Crime

News  

Monday, March 17, 2025

Washington Post Admits that Anti-gun Lawfare “Cannot be the Solution” to Crime

In a turnabout worthy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Washington Post (WAPO) published an editorial last Tuesday criticizing the gun control movement for ignoring the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) and pursuing its agenda in ...

Florida Urges SCOTUS to Grant Cert in NRA’s Challenge to its Young Adult Purchase Ban and to Rule its Own Law Unconstitutional

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

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In May, the National Rifle Association petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear NRA v. Glass, our challenge to Florida’s ban on firearm purchases by adults under 21.

North Carolina: Pro-Gun Bills Advance in Veto Override Session

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

North Carolina: Pro-Gun Bills Advance in Veto Override Session

During a veto override session on Tuesday, July 29th, both chambers passed House Bill 193 (H193) and defeated Governor Josh Stein's veto.

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Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.