San Francisco Mayor, Activists Have Bold Idea to Reduce Shootings

And by “bold,” I mean “idiotic.” 

Mayor Daniel Lurie could have announced that local prosecutors aren’t going to offer plea deals to repeat violent offenders, or that police will be targeting the relatively few individuals in the city who are disproportionally responsible for violent crimes. That would actually make sense, though, and as San Francisco has proven time and time again, common sense is a rare commodity in the city. So instead, residents are getting this. 

San Francisco city leaders joined community members on the front steps of City Hall on Thursday to announce a 24-hour violence ceasefire beginning Friday.

The event was promoted as a citywide, anti-gun and anti-violence effort under the theme “Silence Is Violence” and 24 hours of nonviolence.

The focus is not only on reducing shootings and other violent incidents but also on raising awareness about possible solutions.

Raising awareness about possible solutions by doing something that’s utterly meaningless? Yeah, that’ll work out well. 

There have been fourteen homicides in San Francisco this year, which is a 250% increase compared to this point in 2025. The number of non-fatal shootings is up as well, though not nearly as dramatically. Through March 29 there had been 29 shooting incidents reported, compared to 26 at the same point in 2025. 

According to San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew, the vast majority of this year’s homicides have been targeted acts of violence, not stranger-on-stranger killings. All but one of this year’s homicides have been cleared as well, with a suspect (or suspects) arrested and facing charges. 

With homicides spiking, I understand the impulse to do something. Announcing a 24-hour “ceasefire,” seems silly to me. If that’s all it takes to stop gang-related shootings, why not announce a permanent ceasefire? Are city officials suggesting that violence is okay, so long as it doesn’t happen during this 24 hour period? 

And if California’s restrictive gun laws worked as well as anti-2A activists claim, why would a “ceasefire” even be on the table? Shouldn’t the universal background checks on guns and ammunition, “assault weapon” and “large capacity” magazine bans, waiting periods, and the like be enough to keep gang members from getting ahold of guns? 

Clearly, that’s not the case, but I still don’t think announcing a temporary end to gang hostilities is the answer, particularly when there’s no indication that any of the gangs in San Francisco plan on abiding by the announcement. 

Organizers said they hope to promote peace through coordinated violence prevention programs that support safer communities.

“I believe when we come together, there’s a safer San Francisco for everyone,” Lurie said.

City officials and others are posting notices on social media that read, “Please play your part. We want kids to live. It takes the hood to save the hood.”

Okay, but those violence prevention programs have been operating in San Francisco for quite some time. If homicides are up by 250%, that’s pretty strong evidence that these programs aren’t all that effective, though they’re probably doing more to curb violence than posting “please don’t shoot people” on social media ever could. 

If San Francisco really wants to crack down on shootings, prosecutors need to quit playing footsie with career criminals and ensure stiff sentences for violent offenders. Officials could also make it easier for the victims of these offenders to shoot back in self-defense instead of forcing people to pay almost $1,000 for application fees, training, and psych evaluations in order to get a concealed carry permit. Given the animosity towards our right to keep and bear arms among San Fran politicians, though, taking that common sense step is never going to happen without litigation and a court order. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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