Bill Could Lead To Criminal Investigations For Gun Owners.

883 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by CopperKnight, Apr 18, 2006

acparmed

Discussion Starter · Apr 18, 2006

BILL COULD LEAD TO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS FOR GUN OWNERS. . . A bill being considered by Connecticut lawmakers would make it a crime to fail to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 72 hours. The bill – HB 5818 – could be voted on by the state Public Safety and Security Committee as early as Tuesday. A similar bill failed last year. This year's version, reports the NRA-ILA, "includes language that would subject gun owners to criminal investigation and jeopardy of prosecution even if they report the theft because a court will now be given the ability to decide whether the firearm was stored in such a manner that provided “substantial and unjustifiable risk” that it would be stolen. Even worse, if the police recover the firearm before the gun owner has discovered it missing and made the report, it will be considered automatic evidence of guilt of violation of this proposed law, as well as guilt of an illegal transfer."

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rstickle

· #2 · Apr 18, 2006

I think I've said this before. I must be missing something. If one of my weapons goes missing I want to let someone know about it real quick. Maybe it's paranoia, but I want law enforcement to know I don't have that weapon BEFORE it can be used in any type of crime.

A whole bunch of years ago my house was robbed and when I called the local police I was given the usual we'll get someone there routine, until I mentioned the two missing handguns. That got their attention real quick.

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calireserve

· #3 · Apr 18, 2006

I think a majority of gun owners would report any theft or loss of a firearm immediately to the police. If a person knowingly fails to report a theft of a loss of a handgun then I think that shows some lack of responability on their part. In that case I think some sort of criminal penalty or fine would be justified. But if the courts are tying to dig into our private lives and try to tell us how we have to keep our guns in our own home I would be skeptical.

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calireserve

· #4 · Apr 18, 2006

Wow sorry for my spelling on the above but it is early here. Do any states have similar laws out there now?

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srfl

· #5 · Apr 18, 2006

That proposed bill is unfundamentally unfair (but what's new?) since it imposes criminal liabilities to a gun owner if LE finds the gun first before reporting it.

Let's say I'm away on vacation having left on Monday and my small safe housing some valuables, my revolver, and ammo is stolen on Tuesday. LE recovers the weapon on Thursday after it is used in a 7-11 holdup on Wednesday. I get back from my vacation on Saturday, discover the theft of my stuff and report it. A check of the serial numbers I provided to LE uncovers that my gun was in fact in police custody....but wait, it was used in a crime as well....and thanks to that law, I can get charged since I failed to report it. Oh....the local prosecutor aspires to higher political office, so he/she decides to in fact charge me since I'm a test case for that newly past law.

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Rock and Glock

· #6 · Apr 18, 2006

A requirement to report a theft, IMHO, is OK. I would do it anyway.

The provision that "a court would be given the ability to decide whether the firearm was stored in such a manner that provided “substantial and unjustifiable risk” that it would be stolen" is absurd! By a Court? Give me a break! No way! :aargh4:

The provision that if the "police recover the firearm before the gun owner has discovered it missing and made the report, it will be considered automatic evidence of guilt of violation of this proposed law, as well as guilt of an illegal transfer" ? Likewise - absurd! This probably violates Due Process, but I'm not an attorney and wouldn't want to test this. It's just bad law! :spankme:

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madmike

· #7 · Apr 18, 2006

Long ago, the local TV and radio stations ran PSA's advising against leaving your keys in the car. Many did leave them there, in fact, locked doors were just becoming popular. . .

The tag line was, "Don't help a good boy go bad."

I was only a "teen" at the time, but even then, I felt an outrage against the absurdity of such non-sense. "Good boys" don't go around looking in cars to see if the keys are there.

This proposed law sounds like another attempt to blame the victim for the crime.

I don't know if such a law violates any legal principles or not. But I do know BULL when I see it. And I see it there.

mm

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calireserve

· #8 · Apr 18, 2006

madmike said:
. .

This proposed law sounds like another attempt to blame the victim for the crime.

I Agree madmike!!!!!! Leave the RESPONSABLE gun owners alone!!!!!

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rstickle

· #9 · Apr 18, 2006

madmike said:
Long ago, the local TV and radio stations ran PSA's advising against leaving your keys in the car. Many did leave them there, in fact, locked doors were just becoming popular. . .

The tag line was, "Don't help a good boy go bad."

I was only a "teen" at the time, but even then, I felt an outrage against the absurdity of such non-sense. "Good boys" don't go around looking in cars to see if the keys are there.

This proposed law sounds like another attempt to blame the victim for the crime.

I don't know if such a law violates any legal principles or not. But I do know BULL when I see it. And I see it there.

mm

This winter the County Police put up signs all over my neighborhood "reminding" people that leaving your car unattended with the keys in it is cause for a $60 fine.

This was brought about by a spike in car thefts due to idiots going out, starting their cars, then going back in the house while the frost melted off the windshield.

I guess sometimes you have to try ad legislate stupidity out of the community.:redface:

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madmike

· #10 · Apr 18, 2006

I guess sometimes you have to try ad legislate stupidity out of the community.

Just doesn't work. All you get is stupid laws and a society that depends upon government to think for them.

Hey wait! That sounds familiar! :gah:

mm

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CopperKnight

· #11 · Apr 18, 2006

madmike said:
Just doesn't work. All you get is stupid laws and a society that depends upon government to think for them.

Hey wait! That sounds familiar! :gah:

mm

Absolutely!:congrats: We are getting darn close to that now. Every time someone wants to feel good about themselves, they get the legislature to pass some new pointless "feel good" law that does nothing to prevent what it pretends to. Washington was trying to pass a law to make it a crime to sell illegal drugs (crack, meth, etc) without the tax sticker, like cigarettes (no, I'm no kidding). OK, so it's not enough to get them on illegal drugs, we can get them on tax evasion as well. Gee, that helps.

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