Who Guards the Guards: Cop Gets 60 Days for Selling Illegal Gun
Posted by FirearmsTruth on April 6, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Once again we must stress that we don’t have anything against law enforcement, and we are thankful that America has one of the best records when it comes to the police. But situations such as this story reported by The Washington Post really are upsetting:
“During his sentencing in Prince George’s County Circuit Court on Friday, David A. Eichelberger, the former police chief of Morningside, told the judge that he illegally sold a police weapon last year so he could afford diapers for his children.
“Eichelberger, who pleaded guilty in February to stealing and then selling the 9mm Glock pistol, was sentenced to 60 days in jail. In imposing the sentence, Judge Nicholas E. Rattal gave Eichelberger credit for the one day he has spent in jail.”
How is it that Eichelberger only received 60 days in jail for stealing and selling a handgun? It is the job of police to keep the streets safe and not to put guns in the hands of criminals! The story tries to offer a spin that Eichelberger was strapped for cash, couldn’t pay for groceries and diapers and thus sold the gun.
He’s not alone. Many people are really suffering due to the economy, but turning to crime is NOT a solution, and it is disgraceful that a lawman would get a slap on the wrist. The paper also quotes Deputy State’s Attorney Carlos Acosta as saying police officers “are accountable to the law. Everyone is held to the same standard.”
This doesn’t seem like the same standard at all. It should also serve as a warning to anyone who worries about gun show loopholes, straw purchases and other ways that legally owned guns become illegal that the easiest way is if a gun in an evidence locker makes it way back to the streets.
