[rmvh]

Re your #193....First, The FBI agents involved had absolutely no reason to suspect anything of this citizen.

And specifically what facts do you have to support your assertion?

[bvw]

You are toying with either presumption of guilt, or alternatively of sovereignity of police. That is NOT the basis of legit LEO operating procedure in this ountry. WE are the sovereigns, they are our servants, not our masters. We are also presumptively innoncent in criminal proceedings.

[harpseal]

The agents stated that the only reason they were interviewing him was to determine if he still had a firearm he purchased in the early 1990's. That is not a valid reason ro interview a CITIZEN. If the agents had any reason to suspect the individual then the interview would have been accompanied by a search warrant. What we are dealing with is a pattern of canvassing every legal gun owner who had a .223 cal firearm.

Clearly, if they had a probable cause to suspect he was involved in the sniper shootings they would have gotten a warrant. Warrants are issued on probable cause. If they thought this individual knew something about the sniper incidents then they would have asked him questions that did not have to do with a rifle purchased yaers ago.

The agents clearly were chasing a wild goose and the fact that they would go after people just because they happened to have purchased a firearm that fires the same round the shooter used in this case. Clearly their time would have been better spent checking out field reports from officers who stopped vehicles after some of these shootings and looking for the people seen in the vicinity of more than one shooting. That might have led them to John Mohammed and it was a valid police procedure. Checking out those kind of details is what led to the arrest of David Berkowitz. It is a tried and true methodology.

Further, unlike the sweep of Maryland gun owners, it does not damage the FBI's reputation for the future. It encourages cooperation in future cases. It does not leave the impression that the FBI is eager to violate the Right to keep and bear arms.