While lawmakers in Atlanta seem to think to keep communities safe you either take guns off the streets or you crack down on gang activity, it is possible to do both things at the same time.

Democrats push for tighter gun laws to combat gun violence. Republicans push to enhance penalties for gang members.

In a party-line vote this year, Georgia lawmakers passed Senate Bill 44, which increases the mandatory minimum jail time for recruiting someone under age 17 into a gang to 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.

If Gov. Brian Kemp signs the bill into law, judges would not be allowed to suspend, stay, probate, defer or withhold any portion of the mandatory minimum sentence.

Democrats opposed the measure saying it would lead to more prison overcrowding.

Instead of making every issue a political battleground, Republicans and Democrats should work together to keep families and neighborhoods safe.

What would be wrong with both keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and keeping gangs out of our neighborhoods?

Gangs ruin neighborhoods and lives.

Waiting on state lawmakers to keep us all safe is futile.

Of course, no one should ever try to take matters into their own hands by confronting gang members but there are things we can all do.

No one should have to live in a crime-ridden neighborhood, regardless of what part of town you live in.

Police cannot be everywhere all the time but you can be their eyes and ears.

Neighborhood Watch and similar programs are important tools for combating crime. Neighborhood watches and organizations such as Citizens Against Violence help to empower neighborhoods.

We encourage residents to report suspicious behavior.

Assist authorities in helping break down barriers and incubate positive interactions between police and the people living in these neighborhoods. If you live in a crime-ridden neighborhood consider reaching out to your neighbors and to watch groups and begin building stronger networks for cleaning up areas that have suffered far too long.

Work with the authorities by providing them with information about gang activity and criminal behavior. Take your neighborhood back from the criminals.

Let’s all do what we can to give our children a safer place to live.