Philly\u2019s wild shootout is another plea for an assault-weapons ban

Six Philadelphia cops are lucky to be alive after getting into a gun battle with a drug suspect armed with an AK-47. No one, particularly law enforcement, should have to face a gunman armed with that kind of firepower.

“Our officers need help . . . keeping weapons out of these people’s hands,” pleaded Philly’s mayor, Jim Kenney. That help can come from Washington — via an assault-weapons ban.

In Philly, AK-47 rifles are too often a favorite for killers. A year ago, a shooting involving just such a weapon left two people dead in the same neighborhood as Wednesday’s incident. In 2013, cops sought a suspect who used an AK-47 in two shootings that left yet another man dead.

Assault weapons were once banned federally but no longer; they’re now totally legal in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and apparently too easy to get.

Alleged shooter Maurice Hill, 36, has been arrested a dozen times since turning 18. He even pleaded guilty to federal gun charges and is barred from owning firearms. Still, he was able to get his hands on an AK-47 and a large stash of ammo. He reportedly fired off more than 100 rounds.

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In the wake of the El Paso and Dayton shootings, aides to several key senators have been meeting with White House officials on gun control. Limiting the availability of assault weapons, so thugs like Hill and the assorted mass shooters can’t get them, needs to be Priority One.