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Fri 13 Mar, 2009 10:04 am
Memphis 'Commercial Appeal' Uncovers Dark Secrets Among Gun Owners
Published: March 13, 2009
A & P
MEMPHIS A newspaper review of public records has found dozens of handgun permit recipients in Shelby County with histories of arrests or convictions for robbery, assault and other crimes.
The review by The Commercial Appeal of Memphis comes amid a statewide debate over public access to Tennessee handgun permit records, and the newspaper has stirred those discussions by posting a database of license holders on its Web site.
The state Legislature is considering a call to close the handgun records, with proponents arguing that open access violates the privacy of permit holders.
The database posted by The Commercial Appeal gives burglars "a lighted pathway to the homes of gun owners," said Chris Cox, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.
But open records advocates disagree.
"There needs to be public scrutiny over the permitting system ... by the media and others to ensure the system is working," said Brian Malte, state legislative director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
More than 32,000 Shelby County residents have handgun permits, and statewide, there are more than 220,000 license holders. The Commercial Appeal checked on 154 permit recipients, 28 of whom had their licenses revoked last year and 126 who appeared to have outstanding arrest warrants as of February.
The newspaper said at least 70 permit recipients had records of arrests or convictions on criminal charges before getting their handgun licenses. Kiandre Sims was licensed to carry a handgun in 2005, the newspaper said, when he kicked in a door of an ex-girlfriend's residence and sexually assaulted her. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to assault and attempted rape in that attack.
The state had renewed Sims' gun permit in 2004 despite two prior arrests and a 2001 protective order involving another woman. That order had expired when Sims renewed the license, but another was issued in 2005 and was overlooked by the state.
His gun permit finally was revoked last year.
Bernard Avery had been arrested 25 times — including 17 times as a juvenile — before getting a handgun permit in 2006. Charges for those arrests included assault, burglary and robbery.
Within weeks of getting the permit, Avery acknowledged involvement in a murder and was charged with a string of robberies. A murder charge against him was dismissed on a determination that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial.
His gun permit was revoked this month after The Commercial Appeal began asking about him.
Reginald Miller was arrested 11 times before getting a gun permit in 2006. His record includes a felony drug charge bargained down to a misdemeanor and three separate assault allegations from women who later declined to testify against him.
He pleaded guilty to a drug charge last year and is now wanted for probation violations. His handgun license was revoked this month following an inquiry from the Memphis paper.
Last year, WTVF-TV in Nashville reported that the state had lost access to the FBI national criminal database and was improperly renewing handgun permits for convicted felons. The Tennessean reported four months later that the state was slow to revoke the permits mistakenly issued to felons.
BumbleBeeBoogie wrote:The database posted by The Commercial Appeal gives burglars "a lighted pathway to the homes of gun owners," said Chris Cox, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.
Eh - that doesnt make any sense, does it? Isnt the whole point gun defenders always trot out that having a gun will discourage burglars?
It would actually make more sense the other way round: release of the database gives burglars an advance warning which households
not to target. So in that logic, if anything, it's the non-gun owners who should be worried by the publication.
In New Mexico (where BumbleBee lives) there is no permit required to openly carry a loaded firearm or to have a loaded firearm in your car.
An applicant for a concealed carry permit must be a resident of New Mexico and at least 21 years of age. Each permit specifies the category and caliber of handgun that may be carried, but is also valid for a smaller caliber. The applicant must complete a state approved training course that includes at least 15 hours of classroom and firing range time, and must pass a shooting proficiency test for that category and caliber of handgun. A permit is valid for four years, but license holders must pass the shooting proficiency test every two years.
"Memphis 'Commercial Appeal' Uncovers Dark Secrets Among Gun Owners "
this is kinda misleading.
Shelby county is a rural county south of Nashville.
I lived there when concealed carry passed. It became much like Dodge City within six months. I worked with a guy (building cars) that wore his .45 on his hip all day as he welded.
I was invited to the Saturday (2) class to obtain a permit, but decided I dint belong there.
As usual, reporters can shape a story to influence the emotions of people:
Quote:
MEMPHIS A newspaper review of public records has found dozens of handgun permit recipients in Shelby County with histories of arrests or convictions for robbery, assault and other crimes.
Shouldn't we remain consistently fair here?
SOME of these permit holders may have not ever been convicted of any type of crime. But the reporter does not tell us about this; he/she lumps arrests and convictions together, perhaps to inflate the numbers and make a more compelling story?
Obviously, any criminal allowed to obtain a permit reveals a flawed system. But recognize most reporters have biases and agendas, just like the rest of us.
They're just a little better at concealing it...
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