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If there is enough confidence in them to release them back into society as free citizens, shouldn't they enjoy all of the same rights and privileges as the rest of the free citizens?
Are you kidding? :mad:

Exactly how many jails, in the past year, have allowed convicted felons to go "free" early because of over-crowding?

And how many of them were repeat offenders to begin with?

Then how many only went out to repeat offend again??

The arguement to allow ANY felon, regardless of crime or sentence, the right to have a weapon again is one of the worst I have ever heard.

There is absolutely NO reason to hand an instrument of conscience to someone without one.
 
Discussion starter · #42 · (Edited)
They should NOT be automatically be bestowed all rights and privileges that every other free citizen enjoys.They gave those rights up when they proved to the rest of us that they tend to make unwise decisions.

We are not talking about misdemeanors(sp) here,we're talking about big time screw ups.

A person who "pays their debt to society" has paid for the crime they commited, but commiting the crime in the first place shows they're not as willing to play by the rules as the rest of us.

Should the record of a felon be wiped clean the day they walk out of prison?Should the violent felon be able to move next door to his victim or their family because he or she is "all paid up"? Should a person with a felony DWI conviction be able to purchase insurance at the same rate as me with no points because he's served a 6 month sentence?According to your last statement you would say yes.

What?He/She is really a nice person and didn't really hurt anyone? TOO BAD! They're a felon for a reason,they make dumb decisions and unless they spend a TON of money and work their a$$ off to prove to the world they cured the stupid in themselves then they sould not be anywhere near a firearm.


Just my opinion:)
 
Should convicted felons be permitted to own firearms? Why or why not?
Shooter Girl is this you, disguised with a new registered form name and state?? :confused:

Jack
 
one of my first roomates in college started his freshman year as a psych major while he had a pending felony case going on due to some hooligan vandalizing he did with a crew of fellas their last years of high school...

was it violent? No...guess they had smashed in over a hundred car windshields, bashed up a bunch of parked cars on some teenage(17-19 that is) destructive binge....anyway....due to the excessive dollar amount of damage it was an automatic felony conviction.....

that stuck...and poor dude :rolleyes: had to change his major...convicted felons are also not allowed to become doctors or psych's.....which didn't matter, he failed out the following semester.

point being....should he never be able own a gun?...some may think he might be an exception...

i'd say his case may be arguable, but most are definitely not.

with all the existing trickery among lawyers, judges, convicts and the system i'd have to say time served hardly exonerates most convicts...unless you just mean only non violent type crime felons...

in a small town, on the wrong side of a sheriff or judge.......it wouldn't be that hard to find yourself fighting a possible and/or questionable felony either
 
They should NOT be automatically be bestowed all rights and privileges that every other free citizen enjoys.

They're a felon for a reason,they make dumb decisions and unless they spend a TON of money and work their a$$ off to prove to the world they cured the stupid in themselves then they sould not be anywhere near a firearm.:)
I think that is a good summary of most of my opinion on this matter. I go a bit further, though; i think that if they can satisfy the courts (not just afford an attorney to file a ton of paperwork) that they can handle the responsibility of owning a firearm, they should be able to do so. I do not think this should be an automatic process, nor do i think it should be viewed as a guaranteed outcome of jumping through some court hoops & such.

Why? Because i know a few felons. I have a good friend who ran with a gang in his youth and had the misfortune and lack of good sense to have a few hundred pounds of weed in his closet when two uninvited idiots had a shootout in his yard and his house. He was convicted of two felony counts and did his time in jail (good time to be a Crip with tatooing skills). He understands he messed up and that HE lost the right to keep & bear. He is now married with a kid and his own small construction business and has grown into a more responsible and forethinking person. I think he would be a safe & responsible gun owner, but i think he should have to "earn" that right back by showing a judge that he can handle it. I do intend to get him to chat with an attorney friend of mine about getting that process started & finding out the local TN DA's opinion on his suitability to hunt with a BP muzzleloader in the interim.

I also know an idiot who avoided a felony for an armed robbery by basically being conscripted into the National Guard. He got himself kicked out of the Guard by failing a drug test or three and has never been restricted from owning/handling firearms. He shot his new GF's ex-husband twice about two weeks ago. The situation surrounding the shooting remains questionable but seems like some typical ex- vs. new- drama that should've been settled with some hand-to-hand fighting, not one guy spending his remaining years crapping in a bag due to the removal of most of his intestines by bullet. Guess who is getting charged, yup the bag crapper will be charged, or that is the current intent. The other guy should have had a felony to prevent his ignorant azz from shooting idiot #2 who is now crapping in a bag (age <30). My fellow taxpayers & I will probably end up supporting idiot #2 either in prison or on disability for his remaining years. The shooter will probably end up being shot by idiot #2's crazy ex when she gets hammered enough. I hope he remembers that the trailer won't stop most bullets. :rolleyes: Note to the drama: the new BF was spending a lot of time with chicky while her hubby (the bag crapper) was in jail on one of many minor drug charges (meth i bleve) & the bag crapper was made aware of the hanky panky spankin.

The felon should have a chance to prove their worth and reformation to a judge, but restoration of their right to keep and bear should be FAR from automatic, in my opinion.
 
the judicial system here in N.C. is screwed all up when it comes to felons w/firearms...my ex-brother-n-law which is a convicted felon..was in a car with his brother doing a line or smoking crack sitting on the side of the road,and a cop pulls up next to them...and ask what they where doing...well..long story short...they had 3 firearms (one stolen),unprescribed pills...which is was a schedule 2 narcotic...both went to jail,got booked one stayed in jail for 30days...the other bailed out that night and got 3 years probation...now both are back out on the streets and the exbrother-n-law stole a superblack hawk 44mag that i gave to my father-n-law and somehow is still breathing...now i dont think most felons should own anykind of firearm..but i just dont get why there is even a law that says convicted felons cant own firearms and makes it seem like its a bigdeal if they get caught with one or more and all they get is pretty much a slap on the wrist and some probation????wtf gives?...why even have a damn law like that..if a felon knows he/she want do much time,if any?...so why not!....but i did hear on the news that in some state they are going to let convicted felons vote again...lol...now thats just perfect:eek:
 
Discussion starter · #48 ·
I think that is a good summary of most of my opinion on this matter. I go a bit further, though; i think that if they can satisfy the courts (not just afford an attorney to file a ton of paperwork) that they can handle the responsibility of owning a firearm, they should be able to do so. I do not think this should be an automatic process, nor do i think it should be viewed as a guaranteed outcome of jumping through some court hoops & such.
I agree 100%.

I should have been more specific that a ton of $ was not a guarrantee of the restoration of rights.

I also know someone who made mistakes while young and dumb and thats why our justice system has ways for people like these to apply for the return of their rights
 
seem like its a bigdeal if they get caught with one or more and all they get is pretty much a slap on the wrist and some probation????wtf gives?...
You might want to research that. Start with Operation Exile. Federal prosecution. Felon in possession starts at 5 years. No probation, no parole.

I have a step-brother that is a bowhunter due to a youthful indiscretion.
 
I think people need to understand a felony can be many things and most people focus on the violent kinds but something to think about repeat traffic infractions are a felony also. I know a guy who cannot posses firearms because of driving while suspended license. If you get 3 from florida in a lifetime you are a felon. I understand you break the law by driving but you judge if the punishment fits.

I know an ex marine who's girlfriend just got diagnosed cancer. he paid a bill with her credit card and gave her his half cash(split bills). A few days later they broke up and she called the cops on him claiming he used her credit card without permission. He fought the charge of grand theft and cc fraud and she won(cancer sympathy). I was in the courtroom the whole time and it was the biggest joke. He got a pretty light sentence and had adjudication withheld and could own firearms after 3 years but still has it on his record and is having a hard time finding a job.

My opinion is that if you commit a violent crime you should not be able to posses firearms ever if the crime was nonviolent then after a certain amount of time has elapsed you should get your rights back.
 
Got to agree with that. That's certainly true of most folks convicted of felonies.

If there isn't enough confidence in them to permit them to legally own a firearm, a right which extends to all free citizens under the Constitution, then shouldn't they still be in prison?

If there is enough confidence in them to release them back into society as free citizens, shouldn't they enjoy all of the same rights and privileges as the rest of the free citizens?
That is the error in your logic. They are not free, most felons are released on Parole. They are still part of the prison system and are on supervised release. They have a document they sign called "terms of release." They are still prisoners and are not free and have in now way shape or form have the same rights as me or anyone else who decided to obey the laws.

The rates of recidivism amongst criminals is inconceivable to most people who are outside of law enforcement and do not have exposure to these people on mass scales. Yes I'm sure everyone here has known a felon and might think that this does not apply to them, but I can attest to thousands of arrests and 3056 hearings that 99.9999999999% of Parolees will reoffend. Why do you feel they need to own a gun when they do it?

BTW the only reason these guys are out in most cases is because the prison system is severely over burdened, not because they have been rehabilitated.
 
You might want to research that. Start with Operation Exile. Federal prosecution. Felon in possession starts at 5 years. No probation, no parole.

I have a step-brother that is a bowhunter due to a youthful indiscretion.
i see where it says...felon in possession starts @ 5years,but i dont know if its just N.C. that is so over crowded they take felons with firearms as serious?or what the deal is...but i witness these scumbags getting what little sentence's they got...and the brother of the exbro-n-law...has a felony record a mile long.(B&E,grand larceny,hit & run,ect just to name a few)..unless these two crackheads turned state evidence on one of there drug dealers or who ever...i myself cant believe what little sentence's they got:confused:
 
Discussion starter · #53 ·
Just something to think about repeat traffic infractions are a felony also. I know a guy who cannot posses firearms because of driving while suspended liscense. If you get 3 from florida in a lifetime you are a felon. I understand you break the law by driving but you judge if the punishment fits.
If your liscense is suspended you must have done something to get it suspended.

If you are driving with a suspended liscense then you are showing disregard for the law.

If you get caught driving while suspended 3 times you are showing a COMPLETE disregard for the law.

This is a person who must have said to themselves that "The law does not apply to me" at the least 4 times.

In my opinion this person deserves the felony and the loss of the right to possess a firearm.

Yes, there may be exceptions to the rule but not many.
 
If your liscense is suspended you must have done something to get it suspended.

If you are driving with a suspended license then you are showing disregard for the law.

If you get caught driving while suspended 3 times you are showing a COMPLETE disregard for the law.

This is a person who must have said to themselves that "The law does not apply to me" at the least 4 times.

In my opinion this person deserves the felony and the loss of the right to possess a firearm.

Yes, there may be exceptions to the rule but not many.
3 in a LIFETIME may seem blatant but coming from someone who has had it happen(1 time) to him its very easy. If you move alot the state is very bad about traffic notifications.


Keep in mind this person is 54 and has lived in florida all his life.

His first was when he was around 20 and he was blatantly a stupid kid. '

the second time was in his 30's he had moved and got his license suspended from a traffic ticket in miami and a letter stating he was suspended was never received. He drove for a year before getting stopped and you didnt know doesnt work.


And the last was when he was 49 while going through a divorce his insurance was canceled by his wife and his mailing addresss was still at his old home. same situation as above never knew and she didnt tell him.
 
Discussion starter · #56 ·
3 in a LIFETIME may seem blatant but coming from someone who has had it happen(1 time) to him its very easy. If you move alot the state is very bad about traffic notifications.


Keep in mind this person is 54 and has lived in florida all his life.

His first was when he was around 20 and he was blatantly a stupid kid. '

the second time was in his 30's he had moved and got his license suspended from a traffic ticket in miami and a letter stating he was suspended was never received. He drove for a year before getting stopped and you didnt know doesnt work.


And the last was when he was 49 while going through a divorce his insurance was canceled by his wife and his mailing addresss was still at his old home. same situation as above never knew and she didnt tell him.
That would fall under the exception part of my post,but I have to say getting a traffic ticket and not following up on it (they don't just go away) would be a bad decision.
Having been through a divorce myself one of the first things I did change my address and make sure things got paid(I knew damn well she could care less if MY insurance was paid up).

I'm not busting stones here .....I can understand young and dumb and the Ex wanting to make things hard ,but not taking care of a traffic ticket .........
 
That would fall under the exception part of my post,but I have to say getting a traffic ticket and not following up on it (they don't just go away) would be a bad decision.
Having been through a divorce myself one of the first things I did change my address and make sure things got paid(I knew damn well she could care less if MY insurance was paid up).

I'm not busting stones here .....I can understand young and dumb and the Ex wanting to make things hard ,but not taking care of a traffic ticket .........
It was actually a parking ticket that was a typo. I just keep in mind that no one is perfect and this guy may not be all that smart but I doubt that makes him a criminal.

I also feel this is how the system fails I should mention that this guy is a business owner and other than firearms/voting rights he is largely uneffected(now). But paint another picture same guy with a felony out on the street looking for a job he will find nothing. So now he may turn to big crime to pay the bills if left no other choice. You took a traffic offender and turned him into a REAL felon. If I know someone this has happened to of course it has happened to others as well.
 
I could give a big stinking crap that those wonderful benevolent felons cannot legally own guns. You can talk your heads off about why felons should be allowed to legally own guns and it ain't going to change any time soon.
 
I could give a big stinking crap that those wonderful benevolent felons cannot legally own guns. You can talk your heads off about why felons should be allowed to legally own guns and it ain't going to change any time soon.

Agreed. People can debate special situations or reasons why any certain felon should enjoy the rights of law abiding citizens and it won't change my mind either. Commit a felony, get convicted of said felony, lose many rights that citizens who obey the law enjoy.
 
If your liscense is suspended you must have done something to get it suspended.
Agreed.

If you are driving with a suspended liscense then you are showing disregard for the law.
Agreed.

If you get caught driving while suspended 3 times you are showing a COMPLETE disregard for the law.
Agreed

This is a person who must have said to themselves that "The law does not apply to me" at the least 4 times.
Agreed.

At what point, and by what methods, does this person's debt to society become paid? How/when do they get the opportunity to show that they've learned their lesson and are now a productive, free member of society with all rights extended to free citizens reinstated?
 
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