Category: Crime
Well Said
Jeff Soyer takes the Philly media and politicians to task over the recent death of a police sergeant.
Still At Large
Police are still looking for the third suspect in the Bank robbery which lead to the murder of a police officer.
Interesting Theory on Mass Shootings
Could peripheral vision psychosis be responsible for mass shootings? It sounds pretty far fetched, but I will definitely tell you, when I was in a cubicle situation where I constantly had people walking by, I found myself to be far more on edge than I’ve been in an office, even though my workplace overall stress level has been a lot higher. Here’s what the it suggests:
When you create the “special circumstances” so that the startle is attempted many times each hour, for several hours daily, and for many days, the subliminal appreciation of threat eventually colors thought and reason.
Of course, I just found it hard to concentrate on work, but having people walking by all day definitely raised the stress level. Could it drive some people over the edge?
Border Patrol To Use Paintballs?
Reports GunPundit. Throwing rocks is deadly force, depending on the size of the rock. I agree with Murdoc:
Murdoc’s weapon of choice to “fend off attackers” at the national border would not leave a “small welt.” But I still don’t think the “human rights activists” would like it.
The use of pepperballs probably makes more sense than paintballs either way.
Intent to Harm
Gunpundit notes that there are a lot of options for those intent to cause harm on a large scale, many of which are far more deadly than guns. Joe Huffman has had issues recently with this, and one from today is right around the corner from me here.
Maybe I’m wrong on this one, but I have no plans to contact authorities, because I don’t trust them to deal with the matter with any discretion. Could be, and likely is, a curious kid. I could see myself googling similarly with no ill intent when I was in high school. But in our zero tolerance world, I don’t trust the authorities and school officials to rationally investigate the matter. I do not wish to be responsible for some family’s broken door, and ransacked house, and, quite likely an expulsion from school.
You don’t need a gun …
… to kill a lot of people. Thankfully the parents didn’t figure junior had just taken up gardening.
Prosecutions
Lynne Abraham is actually going after criminals in Phialdelphia. This is good work from her office, and the kind of thing gun owners will support. Now we just need judges who will be willing to send these people to prison for a while if they are convicted. Note that one of these guys falsely reported a burglary to cover his illegal sales. If the criminals are already reporting their firearms stolen, exactly what is this “Lost and Stolen” law going to do again?
Using the Militia
Dave Hardy tells of a story that harkens back to how the militia used to be used, which is a supplement to law enforcement. I think programs like this are a good thing. A citizenry that’s playing a more active role in the safety of their own communities is far better than one which expects the government to do everything for them.
Philly Media Turning Up Heat
The Philadelphia Inquirer are such renowned experts on firearms and legal theory, and they believe this “Lost and Stolen” thing is a no brainer.
Come on gang, this isn’t much to ask. The concept is simple and should be noncontroversial: If you own a handgun that’s lost or stolen, you’re required to report it.
Modest? You bet. This proposal – which brought 10 busloads of Philadelphians to the capital the other week with CeaseFirePA – would help stem the sale of illegal handguns, while not infringing upon anyone’s rights.
As reported in The Inquirer last week, Pennsylvania’s lax gun laws permit traffickers to supply hundreds of weapons each year to the state’s meanest streets, as well as those in New Jersey and other neighboring states.
As I’ve stated several times, the problem with this bill is that it’s meant to reduce the state’s burden when it is unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person has engaged in a straw purchase. When it’s difficult for the state to meet its burden, it is not, and should not be an acceptable course of action to lower that burden. That will result in innocent people going to jail, and our system is supposed to protect against that, not encourage it.
If this law passes, there will be people who are victims of thefts, who are unaware of the law, and who have not engaged in any straw purchasing, who will end up being charged under this when they claim their firearms were stolen, after those firearms are later recovered on the streets.  The reason the suburban politicians are all behind this is because upper middle class suburanites all have insurance companies and police departments that are concerned about property crimes.  They won’t think twice about reporting stolen or missing firearms. It’s the poorer citizen, both rural and urban, who are going to end up being victims twice. The first time when they had their property stolen, and the second time when they end up charged becuase they didn’t know they had to report it to police. That is not justice. That is a travesty, and in a society that proports to care about the rights of the accussed, should not be acceptable practice.
Straw purchasing is already a serious crime, and the state should be held to its burden of proof. That will mean that sometimes the guilty go free, but that’s generally something we’ve accepted as the cost of living in a free society. This is a dangerous road the Philadelphia politicians are wanting to go down, and I’m disappointed and outraged that a lot of suburban politicians are willing to go along with this because their constitutents have the money to stay out of trouble.