our judicial system and gun control

[walter o]

I have never postrd a news paper story before
HAD to post this .Mods remove if it is wrong.

from the N.W. Indiana TIMES
Senior U.S. District Court Judge James T. Moody imposed a sentence of 2 years probation Wednesday on Marqwan Blasingame, 25, of East Chicago.

Blasingame pleaded guilty May 27, 2021, to being a straw buyer of firearms — making false statements to two Indiana licensed gun dealers to acquire the weapons.He pleaded guilty under an agreement with the U.S. attorney's office to receive a more lenient sentence than the 10-year maximum penalty he faced had he gone to trial and been found guilty.

He admitted to lying on federal gun purchasing forms about his home address and falsely swearing he was buying the guns for himself, when in fact, he was paid to buy them for others who may have been ineligible to possess firearms under federal law.

Army vet gets probation for being a firearms straw buyer | Crime and Courts | nwitimes.com

 

[Muss Muggins]

The US Sentencing Guidelines for that crime are very low. By definition and circumstance, the defendant has no felony convictions, and with a sentence of probation, probably didn't have any misdemeanors that carried countable criminal history points. The straw purchase apparently wasn't connected to a subsequent more serious violent crime. Seems about right.

We can't lock everyone up. We can't afford it.

 

[JcMack]

Connection to a serious crime: SAME ARTICLE

Court documents allege Gary police recovered one of those firearms, a Taurus G2C semi-automatic pistol, from a stolen vehicle that was traced to a Gary homicide that took place Dec. 16, 2019 — within hours of Blasingame illegally purchasing it for another unidentified person.

This jerk victimized at least 2 other Gun dealers. The owner of Westworth's is a personal friend and is currently being sued by the city of Chicago for "knowingly selling to straw purchasers". So they catch a perpetrator and the court turns him loose. We don't need to lock him up, just decorate a tree with him.

Blasingame admitted he lied repeatedly on firearms purchase documents during a two-week period in late December 2019 when he was buying eight guns from Westforth Sports Inc., located in unincorporated Calumet Township, and Cabela's in Hammond.

 

[Muss Muggins]

The stolen vehicle was connected to the homicide, not the pistol . . .

 

[Muss Muggins]

We don't need to lock him up, just decorate a tree with him.

Seems a little extreme, but your commitment to the death penalty for borderline felony offenses is duly noted . . .

 

[walter o]

the Crown Point gun show now has observance cameras set up in the building. Always have police walking the show for security and yet we have guns oe ammo stolen .One boy had a pair of wire cutters tryingi to cut safety cable on a gun while his Dad distracted the seller. Just saying

 

[Chubbo]

This is a highly controversial subject, and our moderators forbid active discussion of the subject. I agree wholeheartedly with our moderators. I hope not to be censured for my statement, but with all the restrictions that are imposed on our officials, I believe that it's becoming a serious situation.

Chubbo

 

[Doug627]

Perhaps we do not have the full story. We will never know but he may have provided the names of the people for whom he purchased the firearms. Since we were not personally involved in the matter anything we say is merely speculation.

 

[venomballistics]

This is a highly controversial subject, and our moderators forbid active discussion of the subject. I agree wholeheartedly with our moderators. I hope not to be censured for my statement, but with all the restrictions that are imposed on our officials, I believe that it's becoming a serious situation.

Chubbo

the subject line could use an edit. but the body seems mostly okay.
A case, a subsequent ruling .... and a mix of head-scratching and cause and effect, lightly seasoned with outrage

 

[Rudi]

My fingers are duct taped.