Posted on 01/02/2003 10:04:24 PM PST by kattracks
Edited on 07/12/2004 4:00:05 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Montgomery County police said yesterday that they will use tens of thousands of tips from the October sniper hunt to track down those who violate Maryland gun laws.
"Our goal is to reduce illegal firearm possessions and violent crimes," said Capt. Nancy Demme, spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Police Department. She also said the intensive crackdown would begin in the county in a few weeks.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Though police say the tips could help solve cases and get illegal guns off the street,KT, More gun laws that make criminals out of formerly law abiding citizens. AND steals their previously legal property. While affecting criminals and/or terrorists very little if at all. EVIL!! Peace and love, George.
"We are still getting a lot of tips as a result," Mr. Bouchard said, and those tips are being examined for possible violations of Maryland and D.C. gun laws.
Though the task force will focus on handgun owners convicted of violent felonies, Mr. Bouchard acknowledged that some tips already have led to persons who had no idea they owned guns illegally.
"We are not looking to take away any guns or ammunition that are legally possessed," he said.
It's not just MD idiots, it's federal government idiots :
The mission will be carried out by a task force of county and state police officers, as well as federal agents of the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Just remember, they are doing it to protect you, the whole war on terrorism and all that (and no, I don't know why the Secret Service is involved).
That's the "Fee State". Also known as the "F*&k You" State. And the "Land of the Voting Dead".
Carolyn
I understand that everyone with a brain is upset about this, but have some consideration for Jim_Robinson and his forum. Even though clinton is gone, there are still many people who would love to shut down FRee Republic.
You might want to reread the rules.
Examples of inappropriate posts are those that are off-subject or contain advertising, pornography, obscene material, racist material, Nazi (or other hate group) material, materials promoting violence, threats or illegal acts, etc.
TAG -- YOU MIGHT BE IT! (September 1, 1999) We've made reference to TAG in recent newsletters, and some of our newer readers have asked for background on it. (Good!) TAG is one of the ways police are "getting tough on crime," the highway's equivalent of stop'n'frisk. We have tracked several cases where an individual's first encounter with the law is at a traffic stop, at which a technical firearm violation leads to his disqualification for owning firearms ever again. This can happen anywhere in the state, but nowhere is it more likely than in Prince George's County. There you may meet TAG -- Take Away Guns.
Unlike in Anne Arundel County, where we have credible reports of police setting up traffic operations just outside of gun ranges, TAG works with the University of Maryland to identify "hot spots," corridors over which likely targets may travel with guns. Officers then profile drivers and make traffic stops for whatever reason is open to them (e.g., failure to use seatbelt.) They do a computer check of occupants, then find a reason to search the car. (Initially they will simply ask for permission, but if a motorist declines, the officer will seek other reasons for a complete search.)
What happens if a motorist admits to transporting a gun or one is found during an involuntary search? A spokesman for the PG County Public Information Office says the firearm's identifying information is immediately recorded, and then run through a computer check to see whether it is stolen. What happens then is up to the officer on the scene. A gun that can be tied to the driver (via the State Police firearms registration database) and transported in what may be lawful circumstances (to or from the range) may be returned to the driver, who can be sent on his way with a ticket.
But what if you have a lawfully owned handgun, legally transported, that isn't tied to you by the State Police? This is entirely possible, since many of us own firearms from the days before private transfer was banned. According to spokesman Cpl. Meterko, at that point the officer is free to confiscate any firearm that he doesn't believe you should have. I asked him whether any are returned; apparently this doesn't happen. "If we take it, we're going to keep it."
As with most such programs, TAG has yielded successes even as it raised red flags to civil libertarians. In 1998, it records 33,601 traffic stops, 12,402 issued citations, 77 DWI arrests, 351 criminal arrests and 29 seized guns.
Yes, it is a must read.
But what if you have a lawfully owned handgun, legally transported, that isn't tied to you by the State Police? This is entirely possible, since many of us own firearms from the days before private transfer was banned. According to spokesman Cpl. Meterko, at that point the officer is free to confiscate any firearm that he doesn't believe you should have. I asked him whether any are returned; apparently this doesn't happen. "If we take it, we're going to keep it."
Also, I'm glad that I read the Times article otherwise I wouldn't have known that there was a gun show this weekend at the Montgomery County fair groungs. Even though it will be my first one, I'll have to go and buy something as a show of support. I was thinking Glock 27...
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