NY - New York Needs a Gun Offender Registry

Original Article

If the online sex offender hit-list is "constitutional," then we should have an online registry for all criminals, but simply owning a gun is not a reason to put someone on the registry.

05/03/2013

By Ruben Diaz Jr.

The following op-ed is co-authored by City Council Member Peter F. Vallone of Queens, who serves as that body's chair of the Public Safety Committee

From Newtown, Conn., to Aurora, Colo. -- and all the way to the Bronx, Queens and the other boroughs of this great city -- gun violence is a plague on our communities.

During the past several months since the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, leaders from across the city, state and nation have been offering ideas to combat gun violence and restrict access to military-style assault weapons. The majority of these ideas have focused on changing the laws regarding legal gun ownership. But we must be willing to take a different step -- one that will target and help combat the threat of illegal guns used by violent criminals to terrorize our neighborhoods. We must keep the spotlight of the law on these offenders, even after they are released by the court system.

That is why we have joined together to support the creation of a statewide gun offender registry, which would be an expansion of the one created in New York City in 2006 by Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and Council Member Vallone -- the first ever of its kind. This measure would provide police across New York with one of the resources the NYPD and Commissioner Ray Kelly have used to bring murders in the City to the lowest recorded number in history.

The statewide registry would include similar reporting requirements to New York State's existing sex offender registry. It would keep the names of people convicted of crimes involving guns on the registry for at least 10 years, and require offenders to check in regularly with local police. Failure to perform any of the registration obligations would be considered a felony level crime.
- Why not for life like ex-sex offenders, who by the way, have a lower re-offense rate!

Continue reading...

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IA - Coming Sunday: Register investigation into sex offenders with weapons

Original Article

05/03/2013

Should Iowa’s registered sex offenders be allowed to carry weapons in public?
- Yes, vigilantism happens all the time, and they should have the right to carry a weapon to protect themselves just like everybody else.

In Sunday’s Des Moines Register and at DesMoinesRegister.com, learn how many sex offenders across the state have permits to carry guns.

And see what state lawmakers and law enforcement officers, including an FBI official, said after learning how many of Iowa’s convicted sex offenders have weapons permits.
- Oh I'm sure they freaked out and got their panties in a wad!

Not everyone agrees on the question of whether sex offenders should be allowed to obtain gun permits and carry weapons in public. Some university researchers believe that “there’s no blanket way of stating that sex offenders are more dangerous than everybody else.”

[name withheld], 26, of Dubuque, also wants people to know that he has the constitutional right to carry guns despite being listed on Iowa’s sex offender registry.

“You should not take your rights for granted,” [name withheld] said. “Stand up for your rights. Don’t be afraid to fight for your rights and make them known.”

[name withheld], 26, is on the registry from an incident that took place when he was 17, according to state records. He said that while mushroom hunting, he was caught masturbating by a 12-year-old girl who asked what he was doing. He said he replied with a flippant comment that he didn’t really mean: “Why don’t you get on your (explicative) knees and take care of this matter.”

“Should that have been said? No, but at the same time, I don’t sit here lurking around the corner trying to find a 15-year-old kid,” [name withheld] said. “Ever since then I’ve been more of wanting to make sure they’re 18 or whatever when I talk to them and if I have doubts, I just don’t talk with them.”

The criminal complaint against [name withheld] outlines three times when he allegedly solicited sex from the girl. In one situation, he allegedly grabbed the girl’s hand and rubbed his penis with it. At another time he allegedly held her down on the bed and later offered to buy her dinner if she agreed not to talk. [name withheld] was convicted in 2005 on a charge of assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse — an aggravated misdemeanor.
- So was he charged with the "offenses" you mentioned?  If not, then they are irrelevant!

He was granted his permit to carry a weapon in February 2011, shortly after Iowa’s “shall issue” law took effect. He said he has hunted since early childhood, and now he generally carries a handgun with him wherever he legally can, largely for protection from anyone who might wish to do him harm, he said.

[name withheld]’s handgun was loaded and cocked but had its safety on when he pulled the weapon from a holder in his waistband to show a Register reporter and photographer. He said he did draw the weapon once on a man he believes was homeless because, he said, the man was intent on harming him. The man put his hands up and backed away and nobody was injured in the incident, he said.

“I’d prefer to have seen him dead, in my opinion,” [name withheld] said.
- That is not the kind of attitude you should be showing in a news report, or you might find your right gone simply based on your own words!

Dubuque County Sheriff Don Vrotsos said he wouldn’t have issued the permit to [name withheld] but, by law, was required to since his conviction is not a felony.

“I have to do what the law tells me to do,” Vrotsos said. “If it was up to my discretion, I would say no.”
- That is why police and the general public doesn't make laws. If they did, nobody would have any rights.

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CT - Gun offender registry would be concealed from public

Original Article

Either we should have an online registry for all ex-felons, or none!

04/04/2013

By Ed Jacovino

HARTFORD - The bipartisan package of gun control, mental health, and school security measures that cleared the General Assembly overnight also creates a statewide registry of people convicted of a slew of gun crimes.

But that list would be kept for police use only, and wouldn’t be publicly available under the state’s freedom-of-information laws -- even though much of the data on the registry would be public information anyway.

That’s unlike the state’s sex-offender registry, which residents can access online to see whether any people convicted of sex crimes live in their neighborhood or near their child’s school.

“The legislature has a lengthy list of bills before it to shut down transparency in this state,” said Chris Van de Hoef, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Daily Newspapers Association. “Add this registry, which is loaded with information I assume the public would be interested in, to the list of information the legislature wants to keep secret.”

Supporters of the gun control legislation, including Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, described the registry as the first of its kind in the country. City police chiefs have asked for it for years, and now the legislature has delivered, he said.

The registry would take effect in January. People convicted of crimes using a deadly weapon would have to file their fingerprints, criminal record, and home and email addresses with the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection within 14 days of being released from any prison sentence.

Those on the list would have to re-register every year by going to their local police departments and verifying or changing the information. And people on the registry who change their name or move also would have to notify the state about the change.

During debate on the bill Wednesday, Sen. Robert J. Kane, R-Watertown, questioned why the list would be private.

“Why wouldn’t we have that information available to our public?” he asked.

Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, indicated he would be open to making the list public in a future bill. But that would have to be debated at another time, he said. The bill the Senate approved limited access to the registry to police.

“The purpose of this was as a tool for law enforcement,” Williams said.

Kane responded, saying the list should be public.

“I think it’s important because we’re talking about bad guys here,” he said. “I think the public has a right to know.”

See Also:

• Why Won't New Weapons-Offender Registry Be Open To Public?

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NY - Registering Gun Criminals? But what about registering all criminals?

Original Article

If an online registry is okay for ex-sex offenders, then we should have just one registry with all crimes on it, otherwise we are wasting money by creating more registries when we already have one. Like we have said many times, the sex offender registry is the test bed, and more registries will come, it's only a matter of time, and this, along with the link above, is proof of that. We also find it very ironic and hypocritical that now these people are coming out against it saying it's draconian, will ruin lives, and that the people have served their time. Well duh! But, if it's done to ex-sex offenders, then it should be done to all criminals! So, which registry will you be on?

03/06/2013

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. talks about his State of the Bronx speech, including a proposal to create a registry of criminals who use guns, like that for sex offenders.

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The solution to rape is to train men not to rape women?

What about women who rape men? Or women who rob, beat or commit other crimes against men? Men are not the only ones who commit crime! And they are not dogs that need to be trained! This is the same man hating mentality as this article. Man I cannot stand Feminazi's!

Video Link

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Judge Jeanine says "Banning weapons to prevent crime doesn't work!" What a hypocrite!

Gun Control Rant #1:

If the video above doesn't play, click here.

Gun Control Rant #2:

But she thinks banning ex-sex offenders from social media, celebrating Halloween, etc, does? Yep, it's okay to trample other people's rights, just not mine! Spoken like a true hypocrite Jeanine! She deals out justice for some but injustice for others?

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WA - Bill would register gun violators, similar to sex offenders

Original Article

If an online shaming hit-list is okay for ex-sex offenders, then it should be done for all other ex-felons.

01/31/2013

By JAKE WHITTENBERG

Will treating gun violators as sex offenders reduce gun violence?
- If you ignore the facts and think the same way you have with ex-sex offenders, then yes.

Washington state Rep. Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens, is introducing a bill that would take a similar stance.

The bill would require felony gun violators to register into a statewide database twice per year and allow police to perform random house checks.

“One thing we are not addressing is going after the offender. That’s what this bill does,” Hope said.

Hope, who is also a Seattle Police officer, said reducing felons from committing repeat offenses would make a serious dent in gun violence. Also, he says it would be a tool for law enforcement to more easily perform background checks on the street.
- What?  Of course reducing people from committing offenses will reduce violence, that doesn't take brains to see that, but this man seems to think that putting them on a registry will magically make ex-felons obey the laws.  You folks need to stop living on Fantasy Island!

The bill is getting bipartisan support.

“We have the opportunity to be the first state in the country to pass this legislation,” Hope said. “It’s worked in Baltimore. It’s worked in New York City and it’s worked in Washington. D.C.”
- This man makes no sense.  One statement says they would be the first state in the country, but then he says it worked in other states, so his first statement is false!  Also, other states have proposed a gun offender registry, and some states already have one, see here.

Eight house bills have been introduced relating to gun violence in Washington state. Most recently, House Bill 1588, which would require background checks on all gun sales with no exceptions.

See Also:

• Join the discussion on Facebook

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DC - Exploiting children for political agenda, this is not new, and Obama is no exception!

Since people have been on this Earth and politics has been around, people have been exploiting children during emotional issues or disasters to push their own agendas, and Obama is no different. You would think that people would see through this by now! It's nothing more than "For the children politics." We see this used when pushing sex offender laws all the time.

Playlist Link

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NY - Jeanine Pirro Rips Into Newspaper That Outed Her As A Gun Owner In 'Pedophile-Like' Online Map

Jeanine Pirro

Our comments left on the video:
Welcome to the crowd Ms. Pirro. You've been pushing for online ex-sex offender registries, which put the ex-sex offenders, their families and children's lives in danger, so if an unconstitutional online shaming hit-list is okay for one group, it should be done for all citizens of the USSA!

Video Description:
On her Saturday program on Fox News Channel, host Jeanine Pirro tore into the New York-based paper, The Journal News, which recently outed her and many other local residents as gun owners. Pirro said that the paper's actions have made them look weak and scared. The fact that they have had to hire armed guards for their protection after publishing the map is striking hypocrisy.
- Not really, they are just saying that people have a right to know where gun owners live, not that they are against legal guns, from what I recall reading.

"The firestorm began when The Journal News identified gun owners in a pedophile-like, interactive map," Pirro said. "The battered woman, hiding from her abuser, whose address has been protected by the courts. The police officer, whose family is now in jeopardy. The witness, who testified against the bad guy who is in jail and, for years, has been stewing about that witness."

"When the heat is turned up, and we want answers and we want to know why, you -- The Journal News -- can't talk," Pirro asked pointedly. "Was it your leftist, liberal, anti-gun agenda? Did you even think about the consequences? Was it all about money?"

"Will you step up if something happens to us," Pirro asked. "You know you've made us vulnerable."
- And will you step up when someone on the online hit-list, sex offender registry, is murdered (As in this case!) because "you wanted to know?"  I doubt it, so it appears to us, many in the public who have now been outed, and who wanted the sex offender registry, are the hypocrites, but that is our opinion.  If you "have a right" to know the ex-sex offenders who live around you, then we "have a right" to know who owns a gun around us, and we should also be able to know all the other criminals around us as well.

She read a portion of a statement released by The Journal News' president explaining the rationale behind publishing the map of gun owner's homes. Pirro found their explanation to be insufficient.

"Now that you're under the microscope, you look like a deer in headlights," Pirro said, speaking directly to The Journal News' staff. "You're looking pretty weak right now. And my sources tell me you're scared. You're disconnecting your phones. You're hiding behind people with guns, after criticizing those of us who legally own them."

Pirro closed by saying that, while she knew the names and addresses of many of The Journal News staffers, she would not divulge this information to her audience because it could put people in jeopardy.
- Yes, and so does the sex offender registry!

So what about the families of ex-sex offenders Ms. Pirro?

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NY - Bill O'Reilly - Gun Owners Compared To Sex Offenders

Amen! If an online hit-list which puts ex-sex offenders and their families in danger is okay, then we should have an online registry for all sinners. What's good for one group is good for all groups. Fair is fair, right?  Don't get me wrong.  I don't agree in ANY registry, but if it's good enough to eradicate one groups rights, then everyone should be treated the same, we are all suppose to be treated as equals, right? I'd love to know where gun owners live, especially twisted individuals like Valerie Parkhurst in Florida.

Video Description:
Former New York City mayoral candidate and author Mark Green advocated for new legislation that would allow people to identify and locate gun owners who lived in their neighborhoods. He compared it to the already existing "Megan's Law," which lets citizens know if a convicted sex offender lives near them.

Then he flat-out compared sex offenders to gun owners.

"If we have a Megan's Law — because I think almost everyone might agree — that if you're a convicted child molester, a neighbor might want to know that because they're in your home, safe, but maybe they could hurt someone else," Green said, adding "Same thing with guns."

"There may be people who think the more concealed weapons, the better. Fine. Live in Texas or Florida," he said.

Green was reacting to the Journal News' decision to publish the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in two New York counties. The obvious flaw in Green's argument is that legal gun owners are not criminals and therefore no reasonable rationale exists to place gun owners on some sort of database similar to that of a sex offender registry.
- Many are not, that is true, but many have committed crimes and just haven't been caught yet.  Once a person has done their time, they should not continually be harassed, made to live under bridges, jobless, etc, they should be able to move on with their lives, just like anybody else.  What about all the other criminals?  I think we should post everybody's photo, name, address and work location online for all to see, so we know everybody who lives around us.  We have a right to know that, right?

Even Michael Smerconish, Chris Matthews' fill-in host, disagreed with Green's assessment and said he was not comparing lawful gun owners with convicted child molesters in any way.

However, Smerconish did agree that gun owner information should be publicly available. Putnam County, N.Y., Executive Maryellen Odell disagreed and said releasing lawful gun owners' information was an invasion of privacy.

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NY - Journal News gun permit map endangers officers, officials say (So does the online sex offender registry!)

How does it feel to have to look over your shoulder all the time?

Original Article

Welcome to the crowd of targeted individuals! If you put my life and family in danger, then your life should be put into danger as well. What is good enough for one group (ex-sex offenders) is good enough for everybody else. We should have an online registry, map and phone book for all sinners, in our opinion. And that graphic above, we made many months ago, but I guess we now have our answer! Vigilantism towards ex-sex offenders and their families is on the rise. So how many people must be murdered before you take the list offline?

01/04/2013

By SARAH ARMAGHAN

Criticism of The Journal News, which published a gun permit database last month, broadened Friday with Rockland law enforcement officials saying the map listing the names and addresses of those with gun permits is endangering lives.

Inmates at the Rockland County jail are taunting corrections officers by saying they know the guards' home addresses -- information they got from the list published by Westchester-based newspaper, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said.

"Since about 9:30 this morning, I've been in a meeting with my corrections officers and their unions. They have inmates coming up to them and telling them exactly where they live. That's not acceptable to me," Falco said at a news conference Friday morning in New City, where local leaders condemned the list.

Falco, along with other supporting police chiefs and county legislators, wants the paper to remove the information from its website.

"It's hurting law enforcement as a whole and it's directly affecting our ability to do our jobs," Falco said. "And then when we leave our jobs, we're going to have to defend our jobs and that's going to make for a very serious incident that's going to happen someplace in this county."

Robert Riley, a White Plains police officer who is president of the department's Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, agreed that the database is putting officers' lives at risk.

"My members are outraged," Riley said, noting that the potential dangers to law enforcement extend beyond Westchester and Rockland counties.

"You have guys who work in New York City who live up here," Riley said. "Now their names and addresses are out there, too."

Falco said there are 8,000 active and retired NYPD officers currently living in Rockland County.

The Journal News obtained the information of pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties through a Freedom of Information Act request after the massacre of 26 people -- 20 of them children -- in Sandy Hook, Conn., on Dec. 14. Putnam County has refused to turn over this information.

The interactive map, published Dec. 23, listed the names of about 44,000 pistol permit holders.

State lawmakers say they intend to introduce legislation to exempt the names and addresses of permitted pistol owners from being released to the public.

Calls to The Journal News Friday afternoon went unanswered. A message left on a newsroom answering machine was not returned.

In an article on the Journal News website, Janet Hasson, president and publisher of the newspaper, defended the decision. "New York residents have the right to own guns with a permit and they also have a right to access public information," she said.

Read the entire article here

If the online sex offender registry is okay, so is a gun permit registry!

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The hypocrites are coming out in force now that gun owners addresses have been published, but why not one registry for all sinners?

Yep, the hypocrites are out in force now. A registry is okay for ex-sex offenders, who are put in danger for their lives, a long with their families and children, but due to the "sex offender" label, it's okay? If an online hit-list is okay for ex-sex offenders, then it's good enough for everybody else. Don't worry though, eventually everybody will be on a registry, it's only a matter of time.

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NY - How ironic! Gun owners have their names and addresses posted online and they scream about privacy?

Original Article

12/24/2012

New York’s “Journal News” ignited a fierce debate Sunday after publishing the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in two New York counties. They are actively working on acquiring data for a third county.

The article, titled “Map: Where are the gun permits in your neighborhood?,” reads:

The map indicates the addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties. Each dot represents an individual permit holder licensed to own a handgun — a pistol or revolver. The data does not include owners of long guns — rifles or shotguns — which can be purchased without a permit. Being included in this map does not mean the individual at a specific location owns a weapon, just that they are licensed to do so.

Data for all permit categories, unrestricted carry, premises, business, employment, target and hunting, is included, but permit information is not available on an individual basis.

To create the map, The Journal News submitted Freedom of Information requests for the names and addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. By state law, the information is public record.

Putnam is still putting together its records and could not immediately provide any data. The map will be updated when that data is released. [Emphasis added]

Here is what the map for Rockland County looks like (note: the image below is a screen shot, so clicking on the dots will not reveal the personal information like in the original):

A map for Westchester county is also visible on the site.

Unlike with the above map, however, on the Journal News website, you can click on any one of the dots and get the full name and exact address of the permit holder.

AMI Global Security, which published an article condemning the “massive privacy breach” that is “meant to intimidate the lawful” and “abrogate the Bill of Rights,” collected a few of the first comments:

“If the homeowner is killed or injured, will LOHUD be charged as an accomplice to the crime?”

“It is as if they put out an ad to jewel thieves listing the names and addresses of where to find diamonds and cash.”

“This is CRAZY!! why in the world would you post every licensed gun owner information?? What do you hope to accomplish by doing this? This is the type of thing you do for sex offenders not law abiding gun owners. What next? should I hang a flag outside my house that says I own a gun?”

“Now everyone knows where the LEGAL GUNS are kept, a valuable piece of information for criminals. Why don’t you do something helpful, like trying to find out where the ILLEGAL GUNS are kept? That would be helpful to the non-criminal population”

AMI Global Security also added recent “threats from local government” with regard to guns.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said last week, as the nation still shook from the tragedy at Sandy Hook, that he was considering new gun control measures when it came to “assault” weapons in the state:

“Confiscation could be an option. Mandatory sale to the state could be an option. Permitting could be an option — keep your gun but permit it.”

This is not the first time the journal news has published the private information of gun holders. They pulled a similar stunt back in 2006, but that time, they only published names and municipalities– not exact street addresses.

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TX - Texas Gunman's Rampage Followed Sex Abuse Claims

Original Article

We do not know the details other than what is below, on this case, but all it takes is an allegation and you are automatically guilty!

03/16/2012

By DANNY ROBBINS

The gunman police say went on a shooting spree outside a Texas courthouse this week had become increasingly frustrated by sexual misconduct charges his daughter lodged against him and two of his brothers, and he was so convinced of his innocence he rejected a plea deal that would have kept him out of prison, records and interviews revealed.

Police say [name withheld] opened fire Wednesday outside the Jefferson County courthouse in Beaumont, killing an elderly woman and wounding three others, including his daughter and her mother, in what's now coming into focus as a final, desperate act of a man who believed he and his brothers had been wrongfully accused.

"This has been going on for a long time, and I guess he finally snapped," said one of the brothers, [brother name withheld]. "He couldn't take it anymore."

[name withheld], 41, was in custody Friday on $4 million bond after being charged with the murder of a bystander, [victim name withheld], 79, of Deweyville.

Meanwhile, his daughter remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition, a police spokeswoman said. Authorities say [name withheld] shot the 20-year-old woman and ran over her with his pickup truck as he tried to leave the scene.

The rampage occurred just hours before [name withheld]'s daughter was to resume testimony in a trial in which she accused her father of sexually assaulting her nine years ago. It was the latest episode in a saga that has led to two other criminal cases, a series of lawsuits and a sharply-divided family.

[name withheld]'s daughter made the allegations against her father and uncles in 2009, shortly after she moved out of her father's Houston home and went to live with her mother in Lake Charles, La., court records show.

One of [name withheld]'s brothers, [brother name withheld], was scheduled to stand trial in the same Beaumont courtroom on a charge of indecency with a child once [name withheld]'s trial was finished, although officials say both cases are now on hold because of the shooting investigation.

[brother name withheld], 43, was out on bond at the time of the shooting. He has since been arrested and held on $500,000 bond at the direction of the trial judge, John Stevens.

[brother name withheld], 44, was charged with sexual assault and prohibited sexual contact in Houston, but those changes have been dismissed, according to court records.

During trial testimony Tuesday, [name withheld]'s daughter recounted details of the alleged rape. She also testified that she first spoke of abuse during a conversation in which she and her mother were discussing whether to obtain a protective order against [name withheld].

[brother name withheld] said in an interview that he and his brothers believe his niece was prompted to make false statements by her mother because of lingering bitterness over a custody battle, but authorities have refused to take them seriously. [name withheld] and his daughter's mother had two children together but were never married.

"In every corner, no matter we tried to do, it was like nobody wanted to hear our side," [brother name withheld] said. "It's like, 'You're going to jail no matter what you do, what evidence you have.' It's been like that the whole way through."

Court records show the case against [brother name withheld] was closed by Houston police due to lack of information.

Jefferson County District Attorney Tom Maness declined to comment on the cases in his jurisdiction because both are still pending.

The mother did not respond to messages at phone numbers listed for her.

Read the rest of the article

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WA - Supreme Court says rehabbed sex offender can have guns

Original Article

So can they also vote?

12/01/2011

By GENE JOHNSON

A man who was convicted as a 13-year-old boy for molesting his younger sisters can possess guns now that he's been rehabilitated, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

SEATTLE — A man who was convicted as a 13-year-old boy for molesting his younger sisters can possess guns now that he's been rehabilitated, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The man pleaded guilty to felony child rape in 2000, five years before he graduated from high school. In 2007, a King County Superior Court judge determined that he had completed his treatment and no longer needed to register as a sex offender.

But that judge and a state appeals court refused to let him have firearms after prosecutors argued that under state law, no one convicted of a felony sex offense can ever have their gun rights restored.

The high court reversed those decisions in a 7-2 opinion. Writing for the majority, Justice Gerry Alexander cited another law, one that states a person shall not be precluded from possessing guns if his or her conviction has been the subject of a "certificate of rehabilitation or other equivalent procedure."

The finding by the lower court that the man no longer had to register as a sex offender met that standard, Alexander wrote.

The majority found it unnecessary to consider the man's argument that a lifetime firearm ban for an adult who was convicted of a felony as a juvenile violated the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms. The man comes from a family of avid hunters.

Alexander was joined by Justices Charles Johnson, Mary Fairhurst, James Johnson, Tom Chambers, Debra Stephens and Susan Owens.

In dissent, Chief Justice Barbara Madsen and Justice Charlie Wiggins agreed with the state's argument that the law prohibits a person convicted of a sex offense from even petitioning for restoration of gun rights. If state courts are barred from considering giving those rights back, it makes no sense that judges would be allowed to make findings "equivalent" to rehabilitation that would result in those exact rights being restored.

"The majority's conclusion is implicitly contrary to legislative intent," Madsen wrote.

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NY - Off-duty NYPD cop (Michael Pena) arrested mid-crime, charged with raping school teacher at gunpoint

Michael Pena

Original Article
Another Article Here

08/19/2011

By Kerry Wills, John Doyle and Rocco Parascandola

A drunken, off-duty cop threatened a teacher at gunpoint Friday, forced her into the backyard of an upper Manhattan building and raped her, cops said.

"Be careful. He has a gun," the 25-year-old victim told officers who responded to a 911 call from a neighbor.

Police confirmed that the suspect in the attack on the 25-year-old woman was Officer Michael Pena, 27, a 3-year NYPD veteran.

Pena was charged with rape and immediately suspended without pay. A source said that he had an "unremarkable record" on the force, DNAinfo.com reports.

The woman was heading to work when Officer Michael Pena stopped her about 6:15 a.m. on the street in Inwood, police said.

The cop, reeking of booze and wearing a red shirt and casual clothes, asked for directions to the No. 1 train and demanded she show him the way, police said.

When she balked, he put his arm around her, opened his jacket to display his 9-mm. handgun and led her away, sources said.

"You're coming with me," he told the woman, said Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD's top spokesman.

"She knew he had a gun. She saw it on his hip and later in his hand."

Several blocks later, the assailant forced the woman down a driveway and behind a building on Park Terrace West, where he raped her, police said.

A woman in a nearby building said she heard the attack and called 911 twice in 10 minutes.

"The first time I suspected it was not consensual," she told the Daily News. "The second time because I saw a gun."

She said the weapon dropped out of the suspect's pants and he bent over to pick it up.

When cops showed up, the woman and Pena were clothed and standing up. His 9-mm. handgun was on the ground.

"He raped me," she told police as she ran up to them.

The officers tackled Pena, 27, who had his NYPD shield and ID card in his pocket.

They comforted the woman, who wore a black dress, offering her a chair as she calmly recounted what happened, a witness said.

She was treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia.

A three-year veteran assigned to the 33rd Precinct, Pena was charged with forcible rape and suspended without pay.

He said nothing as he was led, head hung low, from the 34th Precinct stationhouse - clad in a Tyvek suit used to capture forensic evidence, such as hair.

Even in a neighborhood where crime has spiked this year, Inwood residents were stunned.

"It's just unbelievable," said Andre Lopes, 52. "It's like a little piece of paradise here, and then, to wake up to this scene - it's scary."

State Sen. Andriano Espaillat, who lives on the block, said the rape is especially troubling because of other recent sex attacks in the area.

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TN - Sex Offenders Hold On to Handgun Permits

View the article here

04/06/2009

From Phil Williams:

Some lawmakers say it's none of your business who has a handgun permit.

But is it your business if sex offenders are carrying guns?

Last year, NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained a database of everyone who had a gun permit -- and discovered the state was renewing gun permits for convicted felons.

That came as a surprise to state leaders.

"I did not realize that we were issuing permits to convicted felons," Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell told me. "Until you brought it to our attention, I did not know that."
- This just goes to show, legislature doesn't have a clue as to the bills they pass.  And if someone if off probation/parole, then they should get those rights back, regardless of what you think, it's called the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, look it up some time.

So with lawmakers talking about closing those records, I took another look at the data.

Unlike some news organizations, NewsChannel 5 has never considered putting a list of all those with gun permits on the Internet, along with their home addresses.

But here's another example of the good that comes from the list being open to public inspection:
- Yeah so the media and other vigilantes can exploit someone for ratings and viewers.

Willie Frank Hereford is on the state's sex offender registry, convicted of aggravated statutory rape after he got his gun permit.

But the Department of Safety says the courts never notified them.

So after I discovered his criminal history, the Department of Safety sent him a letter last week, ordering him to immediately surrender his permit to carry a gun.
- I checked the following web site, and do not see anywhere it says an ex-felon cannot have a gun.  More here.

Matthew Mark Skaggs is also on the sex offender registry. The court says Skaggs entered a conditional guilty plea to two counts of indecent exposure.

That's a Class A misdemeanor.

But the department says, if they had known, his permit would have been suspended until he serves out his sentence.

That finally happened after I discovered he was a registered sex offender.

And I discovered two other sex offenders, Gabriel Sanchez and James Shetters, whose handgun permits had recently been revoked.

But it had taken a while, since the courts had not notified the state of their convictions.

So could these kind of mistakes happen again? Absolutely -- after all, court employees are human.

But if the records are closed, you may never know.

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AR - Father Accused of Shooting Sex Offender

View the article here

03/26/2009

By Tenikka Smith

HELENA-WEST HELENA - A man in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, is behind bars accused of shooting a registered sex offender he claims raped his young daughter.

The shooting happened on March 25, 2009, on Oakland Avenue. Police charged 26 year-old Jimmy Haynes with first degree battery for shooting his girlfriend's father, registered sex offender _____.

According to police reports, Haynes accused _____ of raping his young daughter. Police say Haynes confronted _____ at his home, pulled a gun, and shot him in the leg.

_____ had a trip to the hospital, but he did not go to jail.

In the state of Arkansas, _____ is listed as a registered sex offender. He was convicted of first degree sexual abuse. He is listed as a Level 3 offender, which means he has a high risk of re-offending.

Helena-West Helena investigators say they did not arrest _____ because there is no proof of the sexual assault of which Haynes is accusing him.

Haynes also picked up a child endangerment charge. Police say that's because during his scuffle with Maxie, he tossed his loaded gun into the car near his two year-old son.

Police say this case should be a lesson to never take matters into your own hands. Detective Dennis Cox says, "An incident like this where matters were taken into their own hands, what they've done is more or less hurt themselves and their family. Because the seriousness of the situation it's a possibility the father is not going to be around for his children for a long time."

Jimmy Haynes is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the felony battery charge.
- And I hope he serves every bit of it!

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Criminals for Gun Control

This is why we DO NOT need a gun control law. It's a Constitutional right to own a gun, and if the legislature get their way, well, you can understand what that would do, just watch the videos!

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FL - Davie activist (Valerie Parkhurst) cleared for pointing gun at sex offender

Valerie Parkhurst

View the article here

If the man/women did not threaten her in any way, then she doesn't have a right to just pull a gun on someone and threaten to kill them, regardless of who they are. If they threatened her, then she has every right to protect herself.

01/23/2008

Prosecutors won't file charges against an activist accused of threatening to kill a registered sex offender, saying she acted in self-defense, according to documents released Tuesday.

Valerie Parkhurst (aka Valigator), 52, faced felony charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and carrying concealed weapons after she pointed two guns at [name withheld], 49, in Davie on Dec. 1. Parkhurst and her attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, met with prosecutors in early January, and the State Attorney's Office decided Friday not to file formal charges.

"The defendant appears to have acted in self-defense having knowledge of [name withheld]' prior violent sexual offender conviction," Assistant State Attorney Jules R. Cohn wrote in a memo. He added there would be "no likelihood of conviction."

[name withheld] said the decision is biased.

"The bottom line is they're taking her side of the case," [name withheld] said. "They're sending a message that allows somebody to break the law and point or fire a pistol at anybody. It's vigilante-style law."

Police had said Parkhurst threatened to kill [name withheld] and his girlfriend, [girlfriend name withheld], when the couple drove onto a street where Parkhurst was handing out sex offender warning fliers. The street was a couple of miles from [name withheld]' home, where Parkhurst had passed out fliers about him earlier and had words with [girlfriend name withheld].

During the confrontation in the 4600 block of Southwest 66th Avenue, a dead-end street, Parkhurst said she thought the couple was following her and asked them to back up. The couple, who told police they were heading to a store and made a wrong turn, said they had trouble backing up.
- Doesn't look like a dead-end to me.

Parkhurst said she became scared for her life and took a pistol out of her truck to scare them off. Another heated exchange followed, and when Parkhurst retrieved a shotgun, [name withheld] called police.

In his memo, Cohn said Parkhurst's actions were legally acceptable under the Castle Doctrine, which allows people to protect their homes, and themselves in public places, if they feel threatened with death or bodily harm.

Valerie at a local bar

[name withheld]' and [girlfriend name withheld]'s credibility is also weak, the memo said. He is a felon and she has outstanding warrants for a pending worthless-checks case in Jacksonville.
- Just because they have a record doesn't mean their credibility is shot!  If that is the case, Valerie has a record as well, from what I've been told. 

Ron Ishoy, a spokesman for the State Attorney's Office, said the concealed weapons charge was dropped because "it appears the defendant's firearm was securely encased in a holster before it was removed for purposes of self-defense."

Possessing a concealed weapon without a license is lawful if the item is not readily accessible for immediate use, Ishoy said.

"We're very pleased with the State Attorney's resolution of the case," Schwartzreich said.

Parkhurst applied for and is enrolled in classes to qualify for a concealed weapons permit.

"I'm up in arms over this," [name withheld] said. "They're allowing her to get a permit, after the fact. I find that very upsetting."
- Yeah, who is she going to threaten next?

See Also:

• Lauderdale woman faces charges after confrontation with sex offender

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