Times Square gun free zone sign gun-free
(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

You can’t blame the city of New York for this one. They did everything they could. Sure they cut 11% of their police budget during the fevered post-George Floyd defund-the-police mania under Warren Wilhelm, Jr. And OK, the severely undermanned NYPD has since been described as “unfixable” in its current state. And yes, the city has a DA in Manhattan who’s more interested in “re-thinking” criminal justice than he is prosecuting actual criminals.

Still and all, the city that never sleeps has done what it can to fight the spike in violent crime. They enacted a radical Bruen-response gun control law that walls off huge swaths of the island as “sensitive areas” where even thinking about guns is prohibited. And just to make sure everyone is aware of the off-limits designation, the city put up “gun-free zone” signs all around Times Square last year.

A traffic sign on the corner of 42nd Street and 6th Avenue announces Times Square as a gun free zone, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in New York. New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed two bills designating new boundaries of a Times Square sensitive location and prohibiting concealed carry permit holders from bringing their firearms into the Times Square sensitive location (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

So there really shouldn’t be any confusion about Times Square’s status as a place where guns are absolutely verboten.

Robert Barrows of the New York City Police Department holds up a “gun free zone” sign during a City Council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. (William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit)

Given all of that effort, you can probably imagine how confused NYPD Deputy Commissioner Robert Barrows (above) must be at the news that three people were shot in Times Square last night. It’s almost inconceivable.

From the New York Post . . .

The trio of victims — aged 15, 16 and 17 — were struck by bullets when a male suspect opened fire on Seventh Avenue between West 41st and 42nd streets at 11:50 p.m., the NYPD said.

The 15-year-old and 16-year-old boys were each hit in the leg.

Maybe they were from out of town. Or maybe English isn’t the shooter’s primary language. Perhaps the city should post signs in Spanish, French, Chinese and a range of other languages to ensure that everyone gets the gun-free message.

The gunman fled on foot on West 41st Street, authorities said.

He hadn’t been arrested by early Tuesday.

The shooting — and the mystery of how the shooter got a gun into Times Square — remain under investigation.

 

37 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe some enterprising small town should post some “This is a free gun zone” signs, just to see what happens. Invite Shannon to watch (from behind bulletproof glass, of course).

  2. Good lord this didn’t even touch on bail reform letting a majority (thankfully heading towards plurality now) of criminals go back to their business after arrest, sentencing reform with early release of hundreds of gang affiliated violent offenders, or the retirement bomb the NYPD is going through as a large percentage are taking early or at least earlier retirement as they become eligible. Be interesting to see how the “refugees” fit into the mix as NYC exports them to any county they can sneak them into while emptying hotels of typical business.

  3. Gun control in general and those signs in particular add to the problem, not helping it in any way.

    Gun control is a fools errand. Just like banning alcohol or drugs or tobacco.

    • Gun control is working exactly as intended. Disarm the honest, and allow the criminals to roam free thanks to reimagining how the law is enforced. Hagalian dialectic in action.

  4. New York can post signs anywhere they like. That will never stop criminals from carrying guns anywhere they want to.

  5. I wonder if the shooter used a gun they got from the ATF.

    What Would Happen if the ATF Held Themselves to Their Own Standards?

    This is interesting. Pay attention to the part where ATF falsified documents that they destroyed thousands of fire arms, but later those firearms the ATF said they destroyed turned up at crime scenes.

    ATF, literally the largest single supplier of crime guns. 🤣

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmCZhi7T1IA

  6. Everyone should just wear yellow vests with the phrase “don’t shoot me” on the front and back.

    Those “please don’t rape me” bracelets worked out so well in Sweden.

  7. We are quickly approaching Bellum Ominum Contra Omnes. Prepare thyself.

    “Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common Power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called War; and such a war as is of every man against every man. In such condition there is no place for Industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continual Fear, and danger of violent death; And the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. ” Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651)

  8. And the young thugs will be dutifully counted as children shot by the mean evil guns.
    Any bets on the chances these teens were involved with drug or gang activities? Or the affiliation of the shooter with some ongoing criminal activity?

  9. How ludicrous to think that by putting up a sign that says “Gun-Free Zone” that criminals will stop and say to themselves, “Gee, I’d better not bring a gun into that zone or else I’ll be in trouble.”

    Give me a break. Criminals do NOT follow the law; they don’t read signs; they don’t have morals, ethics, or even a conscience, which is why they are criminals in the first place. The only sign that SHOULD be posted is, “Citizens are armed!” Now THAT will cause criminals to think twice before engaging citizens. All that a sign that says “Gun-Free Zone” will do is tell criminals that there is nobody around to “Counter” the criminal’s actions, so there is absolutely NO risk to the criminal in a Gun-Free Zone.

  10. “How ludicrous to think that by putting up a sign that says “Speed Limit 55” that criminals will stop and say to themselves, “Gee, I’d better not exceed the speed limit or else I’ll be in trouble.”

    “Despite Prominent ‘Speed Limit’ Signs, 3 Teenagers Killed In Excessive Speed Accident”

    Maybe you folks are right, we shouldn’t really have any speed limit signs because people will speed anyway.

    “Sir Isaac, deliver me from right wing logic!”

    • “Maybe you folks are right, we shouldn’t really have any speed limit signs because people will speed anyway.”

      No one is saying that.

      No city puts up a stop sign and says ‘this will keep you safe’.

      But a democrat will put up a ‘no guns zone’ and say ‘this will keep you safe”

      “Sir Isaac, deliver me from the lack of context and lack of logic understanding of Miner49er and the rest of the left-wing idiots!”

    • “Sir Isaac, please explain to us where Minor Irritant’s example above of a speed limit sign caused the vehicle to magically slow down by itself and prevent the accident from happening. Oh wait, you don’t follow the ” logic” either? That’s okay, Minor Irritant is playing his five dimension chess again, and in a different space- time continuum.”

    • If all the speed limit signs disappeared over night we’d have a segment of the population that would continue to drive at safe, reasonable speeds for conditions and a segment that would not.

      Civilization has always been this way and will continue to be this way. Once upon a time the segment that would continue to drive at safe, reasonable speeds thought it might be prudent to levy fines, revoke privileges and even lock away those who would not. We don’t do that anymore. The fines still exist but they don’t pay. Revocation of privileges is still a thing but they continue to offend. Since we don’t jail anymore this is where they land. Habitually offending until they kill themselves or commit an act atrocious enough to convince even the most progressive judge that jailing is the only recourse. Not for long, of course.

    • minor49iq…When criminals see Gun Free Zone signs they see gobs of Free Victims.

      After all the murder and mayhem Gun Free Zones have brought about you too could figure out what criminals see if your head was not stuck up your behind.

    • MajorRetard,

      NO ONE is saying that all people will obey a law, just because it’s a law – or that people WON’T act rationally, even if there isn’t a law. What we are saying, you drooling quarterwit, is that ONLY LAW-ABIDING PEOPLE obey laws – and we were no danger to you in the first place. “Don’t start none, won’t be none.” A difficult concept for braindead @$$wipes such as yourself, but the rest of us understand it quite well.

      If you, or some of your Antifa/BurnLootMurder buddies, want to break the law, you will. Just don’t do it around me, ’cause I would bust a cap in your sorry @$$ without hesitation. It must suck hard to be as stupid as you are. If I could even imagine feeling that completely stupid and illogical, I’d probably sympathize, but since I am actually capable of (and engage in) ratiocination, I simply can’t understand the “thought” processes of the truly brain-dead. Sorry, not sorry.

  11. gun free zones, defined:

    “gun (gŭn) free (frē) zone (zōn)

    * Trap in which people congregate and are falsely promised safety by a make believe force field of a ‘No Guns” prohibition.

    * A place where people are disarmed and not permitted self-defense with firearms.

    * Hunting grounds for predator criminals where defenseless prey is guaranteed by law.

    * Place where existing laws against violent crimes do not work to prevent violent crimes the laws are touted to be able to prevent.

    * Places designed to attract violently mentally ill predators.

    * Places where police forces cease to operate to protect before the fact of a violent crime as they are touted to be able to do by politicians implying.

  12. That’s okay Miner, not all well thought out plans come to successful fruition… up here in Minnesota we’re not putting up Deer Crossing signs. Seems that the deer can’t read and cross wherever the hell they feel like it.

  13. There are too many criminals being locked up. We look very bad. Compared to other “more advanced” western societies.

    Empty jails!!!
    Now make it a hash tag. And pass it on.

  14. Dear l̶e̶f̶t̶-̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶s̶a̶n̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶o̶n̶s̶ Democrats;

    I would like to remind you that no mass shooter has ever thought “Oh look, a No Guns sign. My bad, I’ll just leave and not shoot this place up.”

    Signed;

    The Sane

  15. The headline should read, “3 Gangbangers Shot in Times Square.”

    This is an ethical problem. In Detroit, some pre-teen girls got into an argument in a park. One of them doused another with acid provided by her mother. Had it been boys, instead of girls, it would have been a shooting.

    It’s not going to get better until the perpetrators are held responsible for their actions and punished in proportion to the harm they have done. Doing so would result in many young people going to prison but that’s not as bad as leaving them free to ruin the lives of decent people.

    • “3 Gangbangers Shot in Times Square.”

      and that’s probably what it really was.

    • Since when is locking up violent shitbags an ethical dilemma? If anything it is a kinder gentler compromise compared to how they would have been dealt with for the first half of American history.

  16. Perhaps if NYC placed “No Fentanyl Dealing” signs at the city limits they would be able to stop the overdose problem?

    • No no the problem is we don’t have enough ready access to narcan so we need to train state employees to deploy it on OD zombies and see what happens when they wake up. Sadly that is slowly being pushed in trainings for our office staff.

  17. Cognitive dissonance is a term for the state of discomfort felt when two or more modes of thought contradict each other. The clashing cognitions may include ideas, beliefs, or the knowledge that one has behaved in a certain way. “Gun Free Zones” and the belief that criminals or terrorists will abide by this request is a great example of “cognitive lunacy” on the part of these “lawmakers.” Refer to Gun Free Zones for what they really are, Killing Fields.

    • Progs don’t suffer from cognitive dissonance. They thoroughly enjoy it and embrace the doublethink.

  18. Miner said by right wing logic, we should eliminate speed limit signs since they don’t work to prevent speeding. Forgetting signs like that, or no trespassing or gun free zone, only affect the law abiding.
    Would be nice if those with evil or criminal intent could be stopped by a simple sign. Some of us realize criminals, by definition, don’t obey the law, or the basic tenants of civil society. And, since police can’t be everywhere, an armed populace is the logical response to what has been an unacceptable level of violent crime in most of our major cities. Along with actually removing the criminals from the very society they prey upon.
    Yes, there may be a short term increase in firearms related deaths. But, only until those who would commit violence learn they just may not be committing their crimes upon defenseless victims, but armed and capable citizens willing to protect themselves.
    And, cue the “WILD WEST” claims. Ignoring the simple fact you had a greater danger of being assaulted, robbed, or murdered in the “Civilized” East than on the frontier.

  19. Gun Free Zone = Free Fire Zone. Whoever breaks the rule has the ultimate power of life and death over everyone else present. He can exert his will as he pleases until enough people charge him that he can’t shoot them all, or other people with guns start to show up.

    We learned the lesson of the ultimate gun free zone on September 11, 2001, when hijackers only needed box cutters to exert power. When the passengers on Flight 93 learned the fate of the other 3 planes, they decided to form a mob too big to slice through, and the hijackers immediately crashed the plane in a field. We’ve since put armed police and pilots on planes, even though we’re supposedly screened for anything weapon-like, and the cabin door has been armored. Countless more people will need to be massacred before the Libs realize it’s the same solution everywhere — don’t disarm the victims and let them fight back.

  20. Gun Free Zone? More Like “Stupid Thinking Zone.”

    The Whole concept of Gun Free Zone was Idiotic in the first place.
    The Signs prevent NOTHING!!!

  21. Depends which state you are in, but “Gun free zone” signs bear no weight of law. Just carry concealed and don’t worry about it. I used to go to an Asian restaurant because they had great food, they also has “GFZ” sign on the door. Means nothing, If caught, they can ask me to leave but no criminal charges because no ordinance.

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