Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel have maintained that the Black Lions’ [carry permit] revocations were lawful. Bethel has expressed confidence that the federal investigation would exonerate his department.
“Once they get behind the scenes and see what we do and why we come to that place of revocation, they will hopefully understand that we do it with purpose,” he told The Trace. “We have a process and a purpose for why we would take a gun from someone.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner questioned the motives behind the federal probe and said he supported the police revoking more licenses. “There’s way too many guns out there. There’s way too many permits out there,” he said. “We see homicides by people with a permit to carry all the time.”
— Mensah M. Dean in Philadelphia’s Gun Carry License Revocations More Than Doubled Over the Past Five Years