Thursday, February 21, 2008

Punk'd in Jersey

Last month, New Jersey strengthened its criminal code by making illegal gun possession a second-degree crime instead of a third-degree offense. As a result, a person convicted of illegal firearm possession faces a maximum of five to 10 years in prison instead of a maximum of three to five years.

More importantly, prosecutors said, judges are more likely to incarcerate someone convicted of a second-degree crime than they would someone convicted of a third-degree crime. Because of that, they said they expect more people convicted of illegal firearms possession to be sent to prison.

That's "possession." So that would include anyone choosing to exercise the supposedly unalienable right to keep and bear arms, even (especially?) if it meant defying a tyrannical state edict.

Kind of like one of the extremists documented here.

“It'll make sure that the punks caught with guns for the purpose of committing crimes end up behind bars,” Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi said after the news conference.
But unless you either catch them planning, in the act or after-the-fact, how do you know what someone's "purpose" for carrying a gun is, Mr. Prosecutor? What if they just want to protect themselves--something you can't do for them--and their application for permission to do so has been denied...?

If they do it anyway, will you still consider them "punks"?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So would it be REALLY "strengthening their criminal code" if they adopted the death penalty for incurring the displeasure of the state?
The way that tyranny is being sold to us by the media is nauseating. The "strengthening" and "toughening" of laws is blithely described with no regard for the effect on freedom. Oh, I forgot, we're all supposed to be marching cheerfully towards East Germany.

Anonymous said...

We don't have to march anywhere, the GDR has been brought to us.

Anonymous said...

"...how do you know what someone's "purpose" for carrying a gun is, Mr. Prosecutor?"

Well, by assigning a legally-recognized purpose to the inanimate object in question. Oh, an "assault" weapon? Guess you're planning to assault someone. (Unless you are employed by the state, then the law can be safely ignored.)

David Codrea said...

You're not paying attention, TJH: When an "Only One" bears it, it's a "patrol rifle," so obviously his purpose is to "patrol."

When you or I do it, it's to kill as many people as quickly as possible with our weapon of war bullet hose designed only to kill as many people as quickly as possible.

Get with the program. Sheesh.