By The TimesLedger
Last week the NYPD announced that it was pulling the trigger on a sting that resulted in the seizure of hundreds of illegal guns and the arrests of dozens of suspects who sold the weapons out of a Brooklyn housing project. The impressive sting was largely the work of one courageous cop who spent four years risking his life working undercover.
In some cases, the suspects face federal prosecution with mandatory prison sentences for arms dealing that far exceed punishment under state law. The authorities will use the threat of federal charges to get suspects to give up information about their suppliers. This could be a major step in shutting down the flow of illegal guns into New York City.
Perhaps this will provide some comfort to the family of Meto Kolar, a 17-year-old student at Grover Cleveland High School, who was the victim of a drive-by shooting as he stood on a street corner in Ridgewood. Meto will recover. Police say that just before the shooting the high school student had gotten into a verbal confrontation with the shooter.
“What are you looking at?” turned into a potential homicide because some hothead had a gun.
For the sake of the Meto Kolars of this city, the NYPD is determined to get the illegal guns off the street. If a drive-by shooting can happen in Ridgewood, it can happen anywhere in Queens.
