Far-left Philly DA blames NRA for shooting. But mayor says there is 'no price to pay for carrying illegal guns'

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D), a proponent of progressive criminal justice reforms, took aim at the National Rifle Association after a mass shooting in Philadelphia.

What did Krasner say?

After three people were killed and 11 others were injured in a hail of gunfire late Saturday, Krasner took to social media and demanded a boycott of the NRA.

"The terrible crimes last night on South Street tell our Pennsylvania legislators it’s time for real action," Krasner said. "Boycott NRA lobbyists, boycott NRA donations, and bring real common sense gun regulation to Pennsylvania. Now."

Is the NRA to blame?

Despite the heavy-handed rhetoric, there is no evidence showing the NRA was in any way involved in Saturday's incident.

Philadelphia police commissioner Danielle Outlaw explained at a press conference on Sunday that investigators believe an altercation between a small group of men triggered the shooting, KYW-TV reported. One of those involved in the fight was killed, while the others who died were innocent bystanders.

Video taken by witnesses, which shows armed men and the altercation, appears to corroborate what investigators believe happened.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Kenney (D) appeared to take a shot at prosecutorial policies in an interview with WPVI-TV.

"It's gotten to the point where there's no price to pay for carrying illegal guns, so people carry them because they don't think anything is going to happen," Kenney said after the shooting.

In fact, the Philadelphia Inquirer discovered last year that Philadelphia police are setting records with the number of arrests for citizens illegally carrying firearms. But convictions for such crimes have fallen to extreme lows, and Outlaw pointed out that conviction rates for individuals caught with illegal guns began dropping after Krasner became district attorney in 2018.

"If there’s nothing to deter folks, if there’s no consequence where people believe, 'If I do this, this is going to happen,' [then] there’s no incentive to not carry a gun illegally, quite frankly," Outlaw said last year.

The Philadelphia's district attorney's office has even said, "We do not believe that arresting people and convicting them for illegal gun possession is a viable strategy to reduce shootings."

What did the NRA say?

The NRA responded late Sunday, charging that Krasner's lenient policies, all in the name of "criminal justice reform," are contributing to out-of-control violent crime.

"Philadelphia has been awash in crime for years as a result of your ineptitude and loyalty to your benefactor, @GeorgeSoros, who supports weak DAs who pledge not to prosecute violent criminals and release them almost immediately as law enforcement arrests these violent felons," the NRA said.