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Omaha "Gun Bounty"
Wesley D:
--- Quote from: LM4202 on August 26, 2009, 11:48:12 AM ---Some of the comments here are unbelievable. This is a good program that helps solve crimes because it's extremely hard to get people to give tips to the police because they don't want to look like snitches.
--- End quote ---
LM4202, I'm not sure I understand how this program will help solve crimes. Please help me understand by giving me a few hypothetical, yet specific, examples of how a "Gun Bounty" program will work to solve crimes. Presently, people can annonymously call into the PD with tips. If a potential snitch sees an illegal act with a firearm (murder, rape, robbery, grand theft auto, or even a gang of minors in posession of handguns) and they won't report it to the PD (annonymously or otherwise) because they're are afraid to be a snitch, then do you really think bribing with money is going to make them choose to do the right thing? I don't see any benefits from this program that could possibly outweigh the costs (not fiscal costs, but potential for government abuse of power costs).
FarmerRick:
Let's not get too excited here...
I don't think that anyone is calling CrimeStoppers a "bad" program, it's the content(wording) on the above posted sign that I have a problem with.
"What makes a gun illegal?"
As stated above...it is illegal to deface a firearm, create a short-barreled shotgun or rifle without registration, creating a fully-automatic weapon without registration, etc.
Felon with firearm - illegal possession.
Non registered handgun - illegal possession if the person lives in Omaha city limits only.
Stolen Firearm - once again, illegal possession of stolen property.
Defaced Firearm - if the serial # is defaced, yes, illegal to do or possess.
Sawed off Shotgun - minimum legal length without registering as a short barreled shotgun or AOW = 18 inches.
Minor with firearm - depends on the situation... a minor shooting where legal and with adult supervision is legal.
Domestic violence convictions - illegal possession.
So, out of the above, I would only consider 2 of the examples to be an "illegal gun".
I'm pretty sure that the CrimeStoppers organization as a whole is anti-gun and anti-second amendment, they show their obvious bias by the wording of this poster.
In my opinion, they could be a little more accurate and a little less like most of the gun-control groups out there.
I'm not the only one questioning the motives and practices of Crimestoppers: http://citizencrimewatch.org/blog/category/crimestoppers/
AAllen:
As Rick says it's a matter of symantics, but when the sheep hear guns are illegal long enough thats what they think, all guns are illegal and bad. That makes us as gun owners criminals, and shouldn't there be a law.
armed and humorous:
zombiehunter:
The reason this thing might work is because the people who "know something" that might be valuable to the police are also a bunch of criminally minded scumbags who would do most anything for $500. If you don't pay them for it, they won't give their info, not so much because they are afraid, but because there's nothing in it for them. By doing it through CrimeStoppers, they can remain anonymous from the police (that's who they are afraid of). If they just called the police to due a good deed, they would probably be asked how they got the info, which would probably result in their own arrest.
Wesley D:
a&h - And what do you suppose a "criminally minded scumbag" would do with $500? You don't suppose he'd use it to somehow further fund his profession of criminal activities (possibly violent ones), do you? That doesn't sound to me like the sort of cause CrimeStoppers would want to be investing their money in. </satire> ;)
I'm not saying I disagree that criminals will fink for the right price, I'm just playing devil's advocate. >:D
My major problem with this whole "gun bounty" program nonsense is exactly what Rick explained. CrimeStoppers is an overtly anti-gun/anti-self defense propaganda group. They would prefer LEOs drawing chalk lines around a dead body over a 100-pound, trained and proficient woman carrying a loaded firearm and ventilating her larger, stronger, possibly armed, would-be rapist/murderer. A bigoted fear or hatred for guns and a call for further gun control laws and restrictions on law-abiding citizens only (because by their definition, criminals break laws - even gun laws) can be construed as nothing other than advocating for the former scenario, the chalk lines.
Want to be a real crime stopper? Make the criminal's job a high-risk profession. Train and arm the would-be victims and you'll see crime stop. Many bad guys are willing to kill for their chosen crime, but very few are willing to die for it.
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