Legislation that we all could agree to.

[John Hill]

I believe that all 'legal" gun owners as well as the anti-gun people would agree on one thing that would have a real impact on actual crime.
I propose that there be a federal law that says if a person is convicted of any felony, state or federal, where a firearm was involved in the commission of the crime, that their be a mandatory additional sentence be added to their prison time.
Republican senators as well as Democratic senators could support this.
Of course, no law keeps the mentally disturbed person from committing a crime, but if they are not crazy or suicidal, it would affect the very people that we want stopped. (gang members, drug dealers, rapists, murderers, etc.)
If you agree, send this to your senators and congressmen.
John Hill

 

[25elk]

John, without an exhaustive search I cannot swear to this, but I believe there are already laws on the books in most states that state exactly what you are suggesting. The problem is that the existing laws are not being enforced, and when they are they are emasculated by the various bleeding heart, civil rights, feel good groups that are responsible for getting these murdering felons turned loose after serving minimal time. Really, you can kill someone robbing a convenience store and be on the street in less than seven years. And I'm definitely not up for giving the crazies a pass either. You kill innocent people...you don't deserve to be in society with the rest of us. Zap, off the planet! Kinda "old testament", but it works, and what we are doing now doesn't.

 

[John Hill]

I know of someone in Florida that received a mandatory 30 year sentence for 2nd degree murder because a firearm was used. If the law was federal then it could work everywhere not just in some states.
John

 

[Dennis The B]

Michigan already has one of those laws on the books, and the time usually gets rolled in to the other time, when a person is convicted.

However. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the Congress from interfering in the criminal laws of the several states. There may be a provision in U.S. law, but that would be only for Federal crimes, not state.

 

[ladyT]

We don't need anymore laws. What we need is for the police to do their da©¤ job.

 

[loc n load]

Laws

There are many laws on the books both Federal and local jurisdictions that provide "enhancements" for use of a firearm in the commission of a crime......and the problem is not the police not doing their jobs.....we can do our jobs to the best of our ability and charge criminals with every code that applies to their crime,But if the prosecutors and court system will not back us up then all is for naught... the problems lies here:
A. Prosecutors who do not want to prosecute on certain violations, such as federal gun violations......federal prosecutors have been told to "back off" on these and recent decreases in these prosecutions attest to that.
B. Gun violations are the FIRST thing to get plea bargained away because these are slam dunk convictions if the offender is a felon....and the federal codes provide for stiff mandatory federal sentencing guidelines for these offenses.....so naturally that is the first thing that the defense wants to plead away.
C. We have thousands of laws on our books, and believe me we have plenty of them that would make our world a better place if the prosecutors, judges and court systems would back up us "grunts" out here in the field who risk our lives everyday trying to do our jobs.
It is not uncommon nowadays to arrest an offender who is out on bond for one or maybe even two prior offenses and he/she is awaiting trial.
D. Prosecutors do not want jury trials, those take a lot of work and a lot of time and they would rather have an offender plead to a lesser charge and ensure a conviction ( which looks better on their resume) than risk taking a case to "the box" and risk having a jury acquit the offender, or a mistrial or whatever.
E. We routinely encounter offender's who have been through the revolving doors of our justice system and should have been locked up for life years prior.
2012 statistics for denied gun purchasers :15,700 denied due to being a prohibited person (felon or other - these folks committed a felony by lying on the 4473), 40 prosecuted, 13 convicted.

 

[cussedemgun]

John Hill, tisk, tisk, shame, you are using logic again - -

Your proposal may have some merit if the objective was simply to control crime & violence.

The sad truth is the main objective of the gun haters is "CONTROL GUNG"!

 

[Smitty357]

In Louisiana, no such laws exists. Too many crooked lawyers and judges who are out for a piece of the pie.

Here is a local video that was taken by a cell phone. 2 guys get in a fight, 1 guy shoots the other guy several times.

Shooting caught on camera, suspect bails out of jail hours later - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

 

[Buffalohunter60]

I have to agree with Loc an Load...its our justice system that needs to be fixed. There are men in prison that are innocent....and there are men on the street that should be in prison. Our justice system is a joke. Sit in on some court sessions and see what goes on there.