Your humble Webmaster just got off the phone with a media representative for the Dallas Police Department. Following a story from our local NBC affiliate, I learned from the DPD that Dallas has apparently experienced a 24-day period without a single homicide within city limits - the longest streak of its kind in our city's recent history.
There are a few caveats, though. Dallas' overall trend in homicide is up slightly (around 1.9%) compared to last year. And there have been some non-fatal shootings during the past three and a half weeks in Dallas. In addition, the DPD representative did inform me of a murder within city limits on Thursday, September 10, so the streak is over.
But 24 days in a major metropolitan area without a single homicide is still monumental. The DPD says that new narcotics programs and an increased police presence have done their part to keep would-be killers at bay.
It's just nice to know that this profound absence of murders in a large city like Dallas is possible without any new gun-control legislation. There is no municipal ban on the ownership of handguns or semi-automatics. Texas CHL holders are welcome to carry their concealed handguns within city limits except where prohibited by law. There is no such thing as an Illinois-style FOID requirement in Dallas or anywhere else in Texas, to the best of my knowledge. And we do have some rather substantial gun shows.
No matter what the other side of the gun-control debate says, they still have to contend with the fact that Dallas enjoyed 24 days without a single murder - and without restrictive gun laws.
It can be done.
Dallas still has a lot of work to do in terms of fighting violent crime, but I found this development to be fascinating.