Bull Market For Bullets

The ongoing debate over stricter gun control measures in the wake of the Dec. 14 massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., has prompted millions of gun enthusiasts to buy more guns and ammunition.

Public meetings and congressional hearings on proposals to ban assault-type rifles, limit magazines for semi-automatic rifles and pistols to 10 rounds and institute universal background checks, have caused a run on wholesale and retail firearms, ammunition and accessories.

President Barack Obama addressed gun control in his State of the Union speech Tuesday and spoke to the media Friday about the fatal shooting of a young girl from his hometown of Chicago who had marched as a drum majorette in his inauguration parade.

One result of the focus on gun control is an ongoing shortage of ammunition for consumers and some law enforcement agencies.

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Joining Forces Regional Approach To Policing Effective But Not Easy

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There’s a certain charm to a small-town police force such as Chief Richard Leisey Sr.’s department in Mohnton.

“Our residents like to see our car,” he said. “With a small department, we know the people who are in town, who they are, where they live.”

Like a number of other Berks County police chiefs, Leisey fears that personal touch would fade if his department joined a regional police force.

But as budget cuts force small departments to work fewer hours, cut officers or even disband, the idea of a regional force is looking better and better to Leisey.

“We would have 24/7 (local coverage) again,” he said.

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Crime Stats For Reading Give Some Solace

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A week before a summit to address crime in Reading and Berks County, District Attorney John T. Adams pointed out that Reading is not on a list of the 100 most dangerous cities in the nation.

“This is good news,” Adams said Friday. “We are happy that we are not on the list of the most dangerous cities. I believe this is a result of the cooperative effort among law enforcement agencies.”

But officials said that does not lessen the need for next week’s meeting because the report from NeighborhoodScout.com indicates that 89 percent of the cities are safer than Reading.

“I do not see this as any great win,” Reading Police Chief William M. Heim said.

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Two Killed, Two Wounded In New Year’s Shootings In Reading

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two men were killed and another two were wounded in a series of overnight shootings in Reading, investigators said.

One man was shot to death and another grazed about 3:50 a.m., according to city police Sgt. John M. Solecki.

According to Solecki:

The pair and another man were driving around northeast Reading looking for a club where they were supposed to pick somebody up.  They stopped to ask directions from a man walking in the 900 block of Amity Street who fired several shots into the vehicle, fatally wounding the driver and grazing one of the passengers.

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