Posted on 07/13/2016 7:41:05 PM PDT by Theoria
Three Republican senators have filed a bill to ratchet up penalties against anyone who intentionally targets the police, a response to the deadly shooting that left five officers dead in Dallas last week.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) filed a bill Wednesday to make attempting or conspiring to kill a law enforcement officer or judge a federal crime punishable by up to 30 years in jail, with lesser penalties for assaulting such officials or trying to flee prosecution by crossing state lines. In states that have capital punishment, a murder of a police officer could also trigger a death sentence.
But the bill could create some political tensions over other provisions, such as expanded permission to law enforcement officers to carry guns into places where they are otherwise prohibited. The legislation would also limit the time federal courts have to consider challenges to convictions involving the murder of a cop in state court, as well as the type of damages anyone engaged in a felony can try to claim for any injuries suffered.
The bill comes as Washington is grappling not just with the aftermath of Dallas, but how to deal with fatal shootings at the hands of police as well. Last week’s police-involved shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile of Minnesota sparked nationwide demonstrations protesting the deaths of black people especially at the hands of authorities, including one at the Capitol. It was at such a protest in Dallas that five police officers were killed.
Those shootings and protests have come up at the same time as Congress is faced with a fierce gun-control debate that has pitted the parties against each other, but will not be resolved before lawmakers leave Washington for the summer later this week.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I want”(only) BlacKKK lives matter” on the terrorist list!!
More erosion of the 10th Amendment
More laws. Yep. Knee jerk reaction and/or PR action.
Cornyn, Tillis and Cruz? Birds of a feather...
More laws?
Just buy more robots capable of delivering bombs.
Did the ‘bot survive?
Sounds like some 10th Amendment issues implied here. Has there even been shown an inadequacy of the current legislation? Feeding more teriyaki to the Kabuki dance that ends up being mostly run by courts anyhow, seems like a vain move.
The real problem is people in love with evil. Legislation won’t furnish any leverage to help that.
No need to make this a federal crime. If they really want to deal with “gun violence” they could start with eliminating the possibility of parole for any violent crime in which a gun is used and that should be a state decision.
Emotional legislation is almost always bad.
This is about making a statement and feeling good about doing it, not about making any real dent in the problem.
I’m all for it as long as they ratchet up laws against cops doing the same to innocent people. Oh, and dogs.
Agreed. Some states make assault on police officers an enhanced offenses already.
I’d prefer that the crime of attempting murder of or shooting a police officer remain a State criminal offense. Texas is quite capable of dealing with them. The Feds fail miserably, far too often.
And Yes, I contacted Cornyn and Ted Cruz about the Dallas police shootings and Obama’s contribution to the attack on police. This law is not how to deal with it. Let the Texas Courts do it.
It is adding ANOTHER protected class (above the normal citizens that pay them)...another “hate crime law” (with the same basic flaw).
The “band aid du jour” approach does tend to foment unnecessary divisions.
It isn’t like what the BLM goons have been doing wasn’t already banned eight ways from Sunday with quite stiff penalties already possible, on top of being easily demonstrable from the bible to be a sin.
We’ve got a “weakness from walking away from God” problem here.
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