"To aid court security, Maine mulls a tax on guns"
How about a tax on asshat PC-brainwashed politicians who stupidly think that a diminutive woman in her fifties could ever be a match for a young, large, violent male?
Utterly beneath contempt.
Posted on 03/15/2005 6:23:01 AM PST by Fido969
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
To aid court security, Maine mulls a tax on guns
By GREGORY D. KESICH, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. E-mail this story to a friend
The sponsor of a bill that would tax gun sales to finance improved court security said the state is "living on borrowed time" because of its repeated failure to deal with the issue.
The bill, which is headed for a public hearing before a legislative committee next week, is among several plans that will be considered by lawmakers this session. Coincidentally, they follow violent incidents in Illinois and Georgia that raised the profile of the court security issue.
"I've been in the Legislature for five years, and I've listened to two different chief justices say this is a problem," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Deborah Pelletier-Simpson, D-Auburn. "For five years we've done nothing, and we've been very lucky. I feel like we've been living on borrowed time."
The issue of court security was given new urgency Friday, when a defendant in a Georgia rape trial overpowered a deputy and took her gun; he's accused of killing three people before escaping. Two weeks earlier, the husband and mother of a federal judge were murdered in their Chicago home by an unhappy litigant in a civil case.
In Maine, the most pressing court security issue has been the ease with which weapons could be brought into a courtroom.
Unlike federal courthouses and those in most states, Maine courts do not routinely screen people for guns or knives as they enter. Court officials say they have the equipment but can't afford to pay the people needed to staff the machines.
Even routine court matters are stressful for the people involved, says state court administrator Ted Glessner. And nationally, most courthouse violence does not appear to be planned. "Our greatest risk is from the good person who gets upset and acts out," he said.
Pelletier-Simpson's bill would pay for increased court security personnel with money raised from a 7 percent tax on gun and ammunition sales. Supporters estimate the bill could raise $50,000 a year.
That would not be enough to pay for the staffing, says Cathie Whittenburg, executive director of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence. "But it would be a good start," she said.
The bill is scheduled for a public hearing March 23 before the Legislature's Taxation Committee. It will be opposed by advocates for gun owners' rights.
"We don't oppose increasing court security, but it should be (funded with an) across-the-board tax," said John Hohenwarter, Maine's state liaison for the National Rifle Association. "I understand that they are looking for ways to raise money, but I don't think a tax on the sportsman is the way to do it."
Pelletier-Simpson says a gun tax makes sense. "The fear in the courts is firearms, so if it's firearms, let's tax that," she said.
Glessner says the judicial branch supports the intent of the bill, but will take no position on its funding mechanism. The courts have requested $1 million a year from the general fund, which would cover most, but not all, of the state's staffing needs for entry screening.
Pelletier-Simpson says if the Taxation Committee opposes the gun and ammunition tax, she will ask that the matter be sent to the Judiciary Committee, of which she is the co-chairwoman, to look for other funding.
"I know we have budget problems, but we ought to have money for this somewhere," she said.
Staff Writer Gregory D. Kesich can be contacted at 791-6336 or at:
gkesich@pressherald.com
I lived there for 14 years, it was a great place to live. Too bad the flaming Libs have taken over.
PROBLEM: "The issue of court security was given new urgency Friday, when a defendant in a Georgia rape trial overpowered a deputy and took her gun..."
SOLUTION: "To aid court security, Maine mulls a tax on guns."
ANALYSIS: The State of Maine has decided that a tax will prevent criminals from taking weapons from deputies. The State of Maine is insane and should be locked up.
Of course, maybe there's a place for responsibility, accountability, and enforcement of existing laws.
So, does this mean that the state will promote gun sales to raise tax dollars? If no one buys guns, wherever will the money to make courts "safer" come from?
And why do just courts need to be safe? No criminals walking around outside?
Same 'Ol, same 'Ol - a bloated Bureaucracy and poor management. What do you have to pay someone to man the screening equipment? Hire an illigal, they're cheep labor............and no union..........
"might even have taken a course in logic."
Therein is the problem. Logic can't be taught. Either you are born with a logical mind or you are not. Intelligent people have logical minds capable of reasoning and independent thought. All intelligent people are smart but all smart people aren't intelligent. Being smart means having the ability to memorize what someone taught or told you. Being intelligent means you can figure it out for yourself.
This guy has certainly memorized what his liberal college professors have spouted to him but does not have the reasoning ability to figure anything for himself.
Big suprise here. Since the law abiding are the least likely to do this sort of thing, they must be the ones that present the greatest risk. LibLogic at it's finest.
What does taxing guns have to do with court security? Just make sure those hired to guard the prisoners DO SO!
More taxes will make a HUGE difference! /sarcasm
"To aid court security, Maine mulls a tax on guns"
How about a tax on asshat PC-brainwashed politicians who stupidly think that a diminutive woman in her fifties could ever be a match for a young, large, violent male?
Utterly beneath contempt.
How about a tax on lawyers ?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again...the answer here is USER FEES. Levy the tax against those who derive the benefits - the judges, prosecuters, and lwayers who are getting rich trying petty cases. Let THEM pay a surtax on their incomes if they want special security!
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the proposed bill requires some form of registration paperwork to accompany the tax.
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