Who Guards the Guards: Illegal guns case said to target Sacramento sheriff’s deputies
The Sacramento Bee on Friday reported “Illegal guns case said to target Sacramento sheriff’s deputies, others” and noted:
“In a highly secret operation, federal agents in Sacramento executed search warrants Thursday as part of an investigation of illegal gun sales that targets law enforcement officials, The Bee has learned.”
According to the story at least targets in the investigation, which includes sheriff’s deputies. The article adds:
“Police officers can obtain some weapons that are not available to the public, experts say, and typically must provide a gun dealer with proper paperwork, such as a letter from their chief or sheriff.”
Those who say, “only the police should have guns” should think hard about that statement given this latest case of police selling illegal guns. We also would like to point out this occurred in California, a state with very strict gun laws. How are those working out, we ask, if the police are doing the selling?
US Marine “Smuggled Guns” Into UK
This week comes word from multiple sources, including the BBC, that former U.S. Marine Steven Greenoe had been involved with smuggling guns into the U.K. Now the media will probably play up the fact that the guns were bought in America:
“A gun used in a fatal shooting in the U.K. was smuggled into the country on a commercial flight by a former US Marine, a court has heard. Shropshire-born Steven Greenoe, 37, bought weapons from American gun shops and hid the parts in his luggage, Liverpool Crown Court was told.”
However, we’ll counter and note that this just shows that even in lands where there is strict gun control illegal guns will still filter in. This is contrary to the notion that all “illegal guns” start out life as “legal guns,” an argument used time and time again by gun-control zealots. The fact that gun parts could be smuggled on commercial airliners shows that guns could likely travel the world.
In other words, gun control won’t work. Too many millions – yes millions, and likely tens if not hundreds of millions – of cheap firearms from the Cold War are still floating around the world in distant warzones. For gun control to ever work, and for the record we’re against it in any form, you’d first have to get rid of all those guns. In other words it is impossible.
NY Times: Bloody Weekend Shows Intractable Gun Problem
New York City is one of the most restrictive places in the nation to own a gun – at least for the law abiding citizen. Criminals can obtain gun easily as was seen this past holiday weekend. The New York Times notes:
“By Monday’s close, 13 people had been killed and 67 injured in 52 shootings since early Friday. The toll stunned veteran police officers, leading some to wonder if violent crime, which has declined across the city for many years, was rising significantly.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has repeatedly suggested: “This is a national problem, requiring national leadership.”
But we are going to counter and suggest that this is actually not a national problem, as much as it is a problem of New York City’s rising crime and trying to push the blame elsewhere.
The New York Times articles notes efforts to curb the violence through programs such as gun buybacks, but never really notes that the truth is that many citizens are unarmed while criminals simply ignore the laws. However, the paper also notes that “it remains difficult to discern what effect his administration’s gun control efforts have had.”
The paper even manages to throw in some bias, as if to give Bloomberg a bone for the “good” effort he has tried to make:
“…politics and developments in constitutional law have hampered Mr. Bloomberg’s efforts to lobby for new gun laws. Three years ago, the Supreme Court recognized for the first time that keeping a handgun at home is a fundamental constitutional right, prompting a wave of gun-rights litigation that has placed New York and other cities on the defensive.”
What this article doesn’t note is that other cities with strict gun control, notably Chicago and Washington, have seen huge spikes in crime. This suggests that the control of guns isn’t the issue. It is the control of criminals that needs to be addressed, but the media fails to see it this way.
British Police Seize Guns in London
Time and time and time again the American mainstream media tries to suggest that the British have less gun crime because of extremely strict gun laws. This seems to be the case, at least until it isn’t. So there is no surprise that the American media, which has covered the recent riots in the UK, is now silent on an interesting fact – namely that there was gun violence in those recent riots.
The Daily Star noted this weekend:
“GUNS were seized from a looting suspect’s house yesterday as it emerged police were shot at during the riots.”
So why isn’t fact this get reported in the American media? The fact that any guns are involved shows a flaw in the gun control stance in the UK. Consider that if one bad guy can get a gun, then that is more than a law abiding citizen might have, and one more than most police officers carry. This is a breakdown in the system, and clearly it could get worse.
Who Guards the Guards: Guns, ID Badge Stolen From Off-Duty Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Car
Numerous outlets, including The Los Angeles Times are reporting that an ID badge as well as two guns were stolen from an off-duty Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy’s car. The guns were reportedly “probably loaded.”
So in the State of California where it is hard to legally buy a gun, there are now two more illegal guns on the streets. The irony is that law-abiding citizens must pass background checks, whereas criminals just know to go straight to the best source around.
Tijuana Mayor Arrests Over Guns
While much of the news this past weekend was related to Al Qaeda and the fallout from the calls for Muslim-Americans to buy guns and commit acts of terror, there was another news tidbit worth noting.
Former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon has been arrested on suspicion of illegal weapons. Imagine that… didn’t the Showtime series Weeds have a corrupt Tijuana mayor?
With Rhon be accused of having 88 unlicensed weapons we can’t help but say this is life imitating art.
New Haven Police Seizing Illegal Guns
This week News8 (WTNH) is reporting that New Haven police are stepping up efforts to seize illegal guns.
This is just the latest round in an ongoing effort, and we have to ask – what is the big deal. Most law-abiding gun owners would be in favor of this move. We ask why isn’t this standard procedure? Shouldn’t illegal guns be the target of law enforcement, while law-abiding citizens can keep their guns?
Who Guards the Guards: San Ramon Officer Charged with Gun Crimes
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that San Ramon police officer Louis Lombardi has been charged with a number of disturbing crimes, including “stealing guns, selling drugs, illegally possessing an assault rifle and conspiracy.”
He is the second member of an anti-drug enforcement squad to be charged. Once again, we ask who guards the guards?
Grand Rapids Press Offerings “Findings” From Six-Month Gun Investigation
The Grand Rapids Press, via MLive.com, offered some interesting findings from a six-month investigation, titled: “Guns gone bad: Six-month investigation traces how legal firearms end up in the hands of criminals.” It should also be noted that the paper offered the disclosure that this “marks the beginning of a partnership with Silent Observer to get illegal guns off the street.”
However, it was noted in the story that a lot of “illegal” guns were actually stolen, which is a fact that is often never reported by the media. The paper offered one interesting fact that most in the mainstream media also seem to ignore:
“More importantly, there was no single person making multiple purchases — what police call a ‘straw buyer’ — for convicts needing guns.”
This is an interesting point, since it contrasts the notion that criminals go to gun shows or use straw buyers to purchase guns. Kudos to the Grand Rapids Press for setting the record straight.
Hattiesburg American Says “Mississippi gun laws adequate”
Commonsense seems to be catching on, as not everyone is reporting without question the findings from Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The Hattiesburg American responded by noting:
“Mayors, probably most mayors, are understandably concerned about illegal guns and crime. However, singling out states where guns are purchased and calling for stricter laws are not the answers.”
Well said.
