Posted on 07/17/2012 6:05:52 AM PDT by marktwain
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX) – Missourians who were convicted of a crime years ago now have a chance to have their criminal record erased.
A new law signed by the governor does not include crimes of violence or drug convictions, but people covered by the law could have their convictions expunged after 10 years for a misdemeanor and 20 years for a felony.
State Senator Brad Lager sponsored the proposal. He says a man in his district pleaded guilty to passing bad checks when he was in his early 20s and now, decades later, wants to take his son hunting.
Federal law prohibits convicted felons from having a gun.
Lager says the new law would allow the man’s conviction to be expunged and restore his Second Amendment firearms rights.
The National Rifle Association lobbied for passage of the Missouri bill.
I agree with the idea that once a person has served their time, they should be able to work themselves back into society fully. Also, the fact that they can do it, if they’ve been crime free for a past decade means that they’ll have proven themselves to be productive members of society to boot.
I agree.
I’m cool with this too. I’ve had way too many chance to pick up a criminal record and lucked out each time. 10 years for a misdemeanor means that a younger person can still live a very productive life, providing he learned from his mistake. Getting caught stealing a $20 item at age 19 should not be a scarlet letter around a person forever.
I agree - 20 years is a long time to wait and if you have done nothing in that time you deserve a clean record.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.