Former Philly Police Commissioner Ramsey Talks Gun Control at the DNC

Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey addressed the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday to address the issue of gun violence and the need for “common sense” gun control – a platform that the Democratic National Committee is wholeheartedly embracing. Ramsay says that he supports these measures both to protect police officers and citizens.

Former Police Commissioner Ramsey addressed the need for “common sense” gun control measures.

Appealing to the crowd’s support of police officers, Ramsay said that we need “more than grieving to protect our law enforcement officers and to serve the memory of those heroes who have fallen.” Namely, he said, we need “common sense measures and a leader who will fight for them.”

He referenced his own troubled childhood growing up in gang-riddled Englewood, and seeing both friends and police officers fall prey to gun violence. “During my years in policing, I’ve seen the crime scenes. I’ve seen the grieving families, including families of police officers that were killed. I’ve seen the costs of gun violence. Now more than ever, we need a strong and steady leader to stop the bloodshed, a leader that’ll protect our officers from being outgunned by weapons of war, and to rebuild the bonds between police and communities. That’s why I’m with Hillary Clinton,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey saw a decrease in violent crime during his time as police commissioner. For his hard work, he was tasked by President Obama in 2014 to head up a task force on modern-day policing. The task force looked into the relationships between police officers and the communities which they served.

“Important as ever, Hillary Clinton will build bridges between communities and police,” Ramsey promised during his endorsement. “And ladies and gentleman, that’s better than building walls.”