<http://www.poverty.smartlibrary.org/newinterface/segment.cfm?segment=2499>
from which:
...when youngsters begin to use guns irresponsibly (using them for status and in lieu of more mature conflict resolution techniques) this creates a demand for guns (for protection and for status) among people not associated with the drug trade. Decent kids end up carrying guns simply as a way to enhance their reputation on the street and protect themselves. Because the mainstream values and culture have already been devaluated in the eyes of these youth, the code of decency cannot serve as an effective counter to the use of guns.
..............
Bingo.
The kids I knew who carried guns - 17 and 18 year olds orbiting the outermost edges of my teenage friendship system - always maintained fire discipline - i.e., they only fired when fired upon or used used guns to eliminate direct threats and particularly stubborn competition.
Rarely were guns used in normal disputes (arguments with friends and lovers, the odd fender bender, etc). Even more rarely would these young men try to out shoot the police. It was clearly understood, to quote an erstwhile pal, that "the cops will always win any exchange...and even if you DO win, the army comes next."
In a way, this reticence to go beyond a certain level of violence might have been due to their dual status: one foot in the above ground world of family, church and the idea of upward mobility and the other in the illegal economy which provided a solid return on their investment of effort and exposure to hazard.
Kids who lack this mooring, who cherish an exaggerated view of the power guns bestow and who feel compelled to carry for personal safety will use firearms to work out even the simplest issues. A typical teenage dust up ends with brutal murder.
Getting back to Nutter; what he's proposing is an "Escape from New York" scenario in which Philly's most dangerous and mentally damaged kids are surveilled, tracked and, essentially, walled off from polite society in a virtual ghetto within a ghetto.
It's a containment program.
.d.