Comments on: Told you

By: SCATTERSHOT

SCATTERSHOT — Fri, 19 May 2006 01:10:11 +0000

The ATFE arrested some college students in Atlanta for straw purchases.NYC is mentioned as the locale where the guns were used in crime. Ref: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 10, 2002 “College Students Risk Future for Gun Trade”, p A1. There is no follow-up story listed in their archives.

By: Heartless Libertarian

Heartless Libertarian — Wed, 17 May 2006 19:17:56 +0000

Actually, the PIs who purchased the guns don’t have to transfer the gun to a prohibited person to break the law. All they have to do is not be the actual buyer, and they lied on block 11a of the 4473. This would be the case, for example, if someone else gave them the money to buy the gun in order to hide the true owner of the gun from government knowledge.

Now, I’d like to see these PIs expense reports. If they billed NYC for the cost of purchasing the guns, that would make NYC the true purchaser. Since I highly doubt that NYC was listed on the 4473 as the purchaser, that would make it a straw purchase according to the law. And would make the PIs and NYC party to the crime.

By: Xrlq

Xrlq — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:04:49 +0000

Virginia AG Bob McDonnell was Jimmy Barrett’s morning show on WRVA today. He made it clear that he was not amused by Bloomberg’s stunt, i.e., if Bloomberg thought illegal activities were occurring in VA that impacted NY, he should have alerted VA law enforcement rather than sending PIs to go behind their backs. He added that if any unlawful activities did in fact occur here, the news story is the first anyone has heard of it.

By: metulj

metulj — Wed, 17 May 2006 16:30:53 +0000

Politcal expediency: Bloomberg is a second term mayor. He has nothing to lose on either end. Why he is choosing this end probably has more to do with not pissing off the NYPD who regularly work without contracts and have had lower recruit pay forced on them under his administration.

I did not vote for Bloomberg because of the Atlantic Yards boondoggle. But my wife did because he is “tough on crime” and “quality of life” issues. He is tough on neither.

Also, didn’t DeNiro get told to stop carrying the weapon openly? He has some sort of dispensation from the NYPD because of an honorary deputization or some bullshit like that. The irony is that you can carry a weapon openly in Tribeca, one of the most liberal parts of Manhattan, but if you did so, even if you were Bobby DeNiro, over here in Prospect Heights, you might get capped if you walked down the wrong street.

By: Captain Holly

Captain Holly — Wed, 17 May 2006 15:16:49 +0000

Democrats and squishy moderate Republicans pushing gun control would be the best thing to happen to the currently-in-disarray GOP. It would energize their base for the 2006 elections and pretty much guarantee states like WI and MN would “go red” in 2008.

By: SayUncle

SayUncle — Wed, 17 May 2006 14:28:31 +0000

Good point. But blaming NY doesn’t seem as politically expedient as blaming SC, GA, and VA. The facts are that NY has some of the most stringent/draconian gun laws in the country (in third place, with DC first and Chicago second) but they still have gun crimes. Since they passed the laws, they have to feel shocked they’re not working. Otherwise, they’d have to admit their laws are not an effective means to their end.

It is possible to get a handgun in NY but it takes over a year and costs (last I checked) about $700 per gun not counting the actual gun purchase. And forget about a carry permit, unless you’re last name is DeNiro or some such.

And don’t forget if bloomberg’s private investigators were prohibited persons, they broke the law. If they were not prohibited persons, no one broke the law.

By: metulj

metulj — Wed, 17 May 2006 14:18:27 +0000

OK. New Yorker here. I am iffy on whether or not this suit is a good idea. The standing issue is a major hurdle for Bloomberg to clear. Still, when I moved here, it was discovered by a couple of the local “businessmen” that I came from Tennessee. After establishing that 1. I wasn’t a cop and 2. I still had my TN driver’s license (why that mattered, I don’t know), one of them (who is sort of the go-to-guy for all things blackmarket, yet non-drugs, in our nabe) asked me if I was interested in making some fast money. I said, “No” without spec. But he said that his pistol had been confiscated when he got pulled over on Long Island coming back from fishing (Yeah. Right). He wanted me to buy him a Glock the next time I went to TN. He’d pay the gas and $500 for my trouble. I said, “Hell, no” and he let it go. I know it is anecdotal, but the behavior obviously exists. My blood runs cold just thinking about it.

My question for NYPD and the Mayor is: Why not sting the guys who are trying to access those markets for guns? Go undercover and pose as people with connections, then reach out to the ‘punks’ and get them off the streets that way. It’s called “police work” and “enforcing the laws of your own state.”