D.C. Mayor Declares She Doesn’t ‘Want to Lock Up Our Kids,’ But Says ‘We Might Have to If They’re Using Guns’

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says that while city authorities don’t want to punish minors who commit crimes in the capital with jail time, they may need to.

Bowser is supporting a new bill responding to higher rates of violent and otherwise serious crime in the district. Two hundred and seventy-four homicides were recorded in the city in 2023. That’s up from 203 in 2022 and 166 in 2019.

Fox News’ Alexandria Hoff provided context about the bill and crime wave that inspired it.

“District Council is preparing right now to vote on the massive Secure D.C. Amendment Act. The hearing is running about 2.5 hours late; A vote was scheduled to have happened by now, but this bill is expected to pass a final vote. It did so nearly unanimously during a required first round last month,” reported Hoff. “The legislation seeks to satisfy desperate calls from scared residents, but it has also enraged activists. It increases penalties for gun crimes, retail theft, expands pre-trial detention, and cracks down on open air drug markets. It also stiffens penalties for violent youth offenders, something the city’s Democratic mayor says needs to happen.”

In a recent appearance during which she touted her support for the bill, Bowser declared, “We don’t want to lock up our kids, but we might have to if they’re using guns. Aright? It’s just that simple, because not only are they using guns, they’re victims of guns.”

“Last year in the district, homicides rose by 35%, robberies by 67%, and vehicle thefts by 82%, with juveniles making up a majority of the carjackings here in the district,” noted Hoff. “Last week, D.C. police arrested and charged a 15-year-old in the murder of Nasrat Ahmad Yar , an Afghan interpreter who had fled his country during the US’s chaotic withdrawal. He was working as a rideshare driver when he was killed.”

Watch above via Fox News.