Earlier this month, Philadelphia suffered yet another horrific mass shooting. Rather than the uniquely American ritual of a single madman slaughtering people in a nightclub, school, or music festival, this was instead an ordinary fistfight that got out of control, sparking a disorganized melee. Three people died and 11 others were wounded, the worst mass shooting in the city in seven years.

Subsequent revelations have shed new light on the situation that is highly relevant to the broader debate about gun control and police reform. It turns out that not only have Pennsylvania police departments (in Philadelphia and at the state level) made it much easier to obtain a concealed-carry license in the city, but their own incompetence allowed the man who shot first to get one when he should have been rejected. Both American problems of too many guns and the wretched incompetence of our police departments contributed to the tragedy.