Illinois Police Letter
Via David Hardy, here’s the letter that some police chiefs wrote on behalf of the Illinois police officers who illegally possessed machine guns. Seems their concern is the sentence for the crime is excessive, that I concur with. But it’s excessive for anyone not just police. A snippet:
Yes, the troopers are to have allegedly personally possessed them, which is illegal. However, there is no indication that these weapons were inappropriately used or involved in any other offense. The only difference is the assault rifle, which many of us own legally, and the ones the troopers allegedly possessed is the amount of times they fire with a single pull of the trigger.
The troopers, if the charges are true, should be held accountable, but a federal charge carrying the possibility of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine is excessive. One wonders, does this punishment fit the crime?
And the letter does conflate the made up term assault weapon (i.e., a weapon that looks like an assault rifle) and machine guns. Police should know better.
February 10th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
The punishment for NFA violations has never fit the crime. The statute should should change to a maximum of 9 months probation and $300 in fines, $200 for the tax and $100 penalty and you get to keep the weapon now that the tax is paid.
February 10th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
GUILTY!!!!
HUGE FINES!!!
LENGTHY JAIL TERMS!!!
***APPEALS!!!***
It’s perfect! It’s like Larry Flint selling a copy of Hustler _just.to.get.arrested_.
Let these “I’m better than you” punks feel what it’s like to have their constitutionally guaranteed rights stripped from them improperly or live in fear of losing their way of life just because of “amount of times they fire with a single pull of the trigger”.
February 10th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Being a fully informed juror, If I got handed this case I would more than likely hang the jury if I needed to. However, turning this scenario over in my head I reasoned that I would probably vote to convict it it seems that the police officer was guilty AND they allowed irrelevant testimony into the trial that these guys were police officers with good records. Those facts are irrelevant to whether or not the law was broken, and the proper place of any testimony like that ought to be in the sentencing part of the trial.
Any good guy cops reading this might say that’s a double standard, and that’s true. But those good guy cops also know there is a double standard already in place for police to avoid the consequences of everyday petty crimes we mere mortals have to endure. Speeding tickets, parking tickets, civilian misconduct boards, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Since I know how Grand Juries have been corrupted from a vital check-and-balance against an overzealous state into a fishing expedition for the state’s prosecution, I fully expect that the cops will never stand trial.
February 10th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Any official, elected or appointed, that attempts to interfear with the prosecution of this case should resign or be fired. Either all or equal before the law…..or there is no law.
February 10th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
After reading the letter, it’s obvious that these jokers KNOW that this law ruins folks lives, is extravagant in it’s punishment, shouldn’t be applied, et, et.
My question is: Have they ever stepped forward BEFORE when this same exact law was applied to ruin the life and liberty of a common citizen?
Thought so.
February 10th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
How many of these same officers protested when Randy Weaver’s wife and son were killed by feds here in Idaho over a shotgun that was allegedly 1/4″ or 1/8″ too short?
Likewise, how many of them in Illinois protested when men, women and children were burned alive in Waco, Texas over a suspected unpaid 200 dollar tax?
I’d favor letting them off if they promise to work tirelessly for the rest of their lives to restore our Constitutional rights. Otherwise throw the book at them.
February 11th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
I agree that we should be equal before the law. What happens when the laws make exceptions? I blogged it over at my place.