Against Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

I've been telling them for years that the way to slow the criminals down in their gun use is to make using a gun in a crime much more costly for them in terms of the longer sentences that can bring. But the anti-gun fools disagree. They say that mandatory minimums are "ineffective" (I don't know how they can support that) and expensive (Sure, it costs more to keep crooks in prison longer), as well as racially discriminatory (sure, always racism) and unlikely to reduce recidivism (I don't think they have ANY figures to support that)." And recidivism is not the problem. It is the FIRST crime that is the problem. Making it more costly for the criminal WILL have the effect of making them think twice before using a gun in committing a crime, lest it get them much longer prison sentences--and it WILL work the same way in keeping them away from guns later. Remember, these are the people who confidently think the way to self defense is to make yourself DEFENSELESS. (City Lab)