Montgomery Mayor Tells Residents They Should Carry Guns
POSTED: 5:06 pm CDT September 15, 2005
UPDATED: 5:38 pm CDT September 15, 2005
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- While unaware he was being recorded at a civic meeting, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright offered a crime solution that has stunned the city of Montgomery and the nation.
"What we need to do... Is there any media? Chief, can I say this? I've said it one time…Get a gun and teach our folks how to use them and shoot' em," Bright said. "Now, I'm telling you, that's what we need to do."
Bright was speaking on the issues of having an understaffed police force, clogged courts and a vast majority of crime in Montgomery committed by the same relatively small number of people over and over again.
"That's the only thing that we can really tell our folks to do at this point in time," Bright said. "If there's anything else that you know that the chief and I can do to keep this crime down, keep these guys from stealing... let me know."
The Montgomery Police Department was asked what their response was to the mayor's statements.
"The mayor made some good points. If a person chooses to own a handgun, then we think it is important they know how to use that handgun and they know when the law allows them to use it," said Lt. Huey Thornton of the Montgomery Police Department.
So far, Bright has not commented on his statements.
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