Reason #812 that people hate lawyers...
According to this NY Sun story, a publicity-hound lawyer named Harry Batchelder Jr. thinks that the hoopla surrounding the pending US Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment and it's effect on the right of everyday Americans to own and possibly carry firearms is tailor-made to help his current client, a career felon named Damon Lucky.
Batchelder is certainly no stranger to controversy or clients that most of America would rather do without--he was recently the defense lawyer in the terrorism trial of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the crazy federal prisoner that fellow scumbag lawyer Lynne Stewart was convicted of aiding not so long ago.
But apparently fueled by the desire to garner more limelight while possibly inflicting more harm on America in the bargain, Batchelder is now arguing that the Second Amendment means that his current client Lucky and every other violent felon in America should retain the right to own and carry guns even though many of them have been convicted in the past of using guns to rob, terrorize, injure or kill other people. Lucky himself has been arrested and convicted twice of being a felon in possession of a firearm, his last arrest coming after he was reportedly seen firing a gun at a crowd of people in New York City.
Sorry, wing-nuts, but this is where I--a gun owner and sometime firearms instructor, a devotee of firearms of all types and an unabashed advocate on behalf of law-abiding people to keep and bear arms--draw the line. I believe that there is a distinct line between good and evil and there are good and bad people in this world. I support the ability of good people to arm themselves and train to defend their own lives and I do so because I know that there are many, many other people out there who live to prey on people that they percieve to be weaker or more vulnerable, incuding women, the elderly, and disabled individuals. I think that every law-abiding person has the right to defend his or herself should they choose to do so. But I also believe that when a person takes the dark path into the world of criminality and violence and becomes a predator against any and every other man and woman, that they give up that right once convicted of a felony. Heck, I'll even go one step farther and support denying the ability to possess firearms to people convicted of violent misdemeanors such as assault and domestic violence and people convicted more than once for drug and/or alcohol abuse. People who have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to exercise sound judgement or respect the rights of other people have voluntarily ceded their right to own guns in my opinion, and I'm quite comfortable with laws that ensure that they return to jail or prison if they are caught with another firearm.
Now I'm not totally unreasonable and I could agree with a provision that lets such a person re-apply for a restoration of their right to own a gun after some lengthy period of time has passed since the end of their sentence, but I'll never support the idea of a convict being able to walk out of prison and buy a gun, and I think that America would be better served in this regard if our legislators would grow some spines and pass legislation that puts any convicted felon found possessing a gun back in prison for a flat five years, with no chance of good time or other early release. If a person values their right to keep and use guns, they'll have that much more incentive not to go out there and deal drugs, steal, or harm other people. And if they care less about gun ownership than they do about victimizing other individuals or society, then it's on them and nobody else when they find themselves barred from further possession of the firearms that the rest of us use for sport and self-defense.
i think tis is really a thing that i will do without thinking .this is really spectacular!
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you, except that today so many felonies are things that an honorable man could be proud of doing. Do-it-yourself gun smithing, blowing up things for fun and profit, possessing hemp seeds (as opposed to marijuana), paperwork violations in hundreds of fields, pollution ... these are a few examples of the huge number of federal and state laws against things that my parents and grandparents did and were rightfully proud of.
ReplyDeleteIf you meant that you oppose letting violent felons possess weapons, I won't argue with you. Except there's that old problem we're all familiar with: these guys have already proven they won't obey laws. The ones who are going to obey such a restriction aren't much threat to us in the first place, armed or not. Isn't that the problem with gun control in general? It doesn't keep guns out of the hands of criminals, so why are we advocating it here?
I attended a gunsmithing school and graduated, I've been around all types of firearms.
ReplyDeleteI have learned and taught my children to respect them, I go hunting and shooting when i can.
And guess what im a felon, I never or will i ever committ a crime with a firearm.
It's so easy to become a felon these days and i will say this i have a right to protect my family my property.
The law is a funny thing an outlaw once said when he swore in as sheriff, And we all know that it is the person not the gun that kills.
So what you're saying is that you're still a scumbag because you still refuse to respect and obey the law.
ReplyDeleteOne day you'll get caught possessing a gun and you'll do some time. And when you do, be sure to picture me smiling.
Maybe in your next life, you'll do the right thing from the beginning and won't have to cry about forfeiting your ability to possess weapons as a result of your decision to commit crimes.
And in response to Nels, "honorable" men--and grown men in general--obey the laws. Period. The ones who don't are the ones who probably can't be trusted with guns as well. Stupid, unethical and dishonest people should not own guns. The right of the rest of us to be safe outweighs their right to hunt and shoot.