I carried a gun while hunting or just target shooting since I was young. Would that have made me eligible for five years?I'd say this needs to be clarified.
long guns wouldn't be included in this law. Only hand guns and rifles that are already illegal.
That one is 'troubling'.
You Low-Country guys can correct me if I'm wrong, being the hillbilly Up-Stater that I am, but it's my understanding that Charleston leans rather hard to the left anyway, and yankee gun grab is an apt description of this Giulianiesque move to fight crime.
--Mandatory sentences for illegal firearm possession, with a five-year minimum prison term for a second offense.
What is 'illegal' firearm possession? Is there a possibility that law abiding citizens will become 'criminals' under this law?
--Prohibiting those convicted of dealing drugs, or any crime carrying a punishment of one year or more in jail, from possessing firearms.
The any crime carrying a punishment of one year or more in jail has a couple of troubling items. 1) a person sentenced to 1 year for tax evasion, or similar crimes, should not be stripped of Second Amendment right, and 2) it says 'carrying a punishment of one year or more', so does that mean that if a person is convicted of a crime that carries a one year or more penalty but is only sentenced to 60 days, for instance, he still looses his Second Amendment right?
--Mandatory sentences for carrying a gun while younger than 21, with a five-year minimum prison term for a second offense.
This is, perhaps, the worst one. That may play in NYC or Detroit, but it doesn't make sense in the South.
--Possession of a firearm during a drug offense, other than simple possession, would itself be an offense, with a mandatory five-year sentence.
This one could probably be used wrong, also. What if somebody has possession of a gun when they're arrested for possession of a prescription drug that doesn't have their name on it, such as Viagra? Is is possible that the drug arrest could be dimissed but the guy could still get 5 years for the gun?
--Allow probation officers to conduct warrantless searches.
I don't know........
--Increase the punishment for assault and battery with intent to kill to a mandatory minimum term of 10 years. There is currently no mandatory minimum.
I like this one.
--All offenders would have to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence. Currently, the 85 percent rule does not apply to all offenses.
I don't get this one. Is this saying that the word mandatory in the above laws doesn't necessarily mean mandatory and there has to be an additional law to ensure that a mandatory sentence is carried out to at least 85 percent of it's mandatory duration?
All in all I agree: yankee gun-grab.