[kidd]

I think the problem here is mandatory sentencing.

This man's liberty has been deprived by due process of law (an artifact of his burglary convictions), and is therefore Constitutional.

However, I would argue that the punishment is a violation of the 8th ammendment (cruel and unusual punishment). A warning/reminder would have been appropriate, not 15 years in prison.

[FourPeas]

And, then there's the story of Mark Fricke found here:

Mark Fricke, 46, of Vicksburg, was sentenced by Lamb to two years of probation after being convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in Kalamazoo in January 2002.

Obviously, we don't have the whole story here, but it's hard to believe that Mr. Fricke's story is any less mundane.

[Knightsofswing]

What ever happened to private property! I guess that the DNR [thugs] do not have to observe the rights of property owners! Here in Michigan they DON'T. The DNR thugs can go anywhere at anytime they want. In the name of enviromental proection [what a farce!!] I have no trespassing signs all over my property, and it includes ALL GOVERMENT EMPLOYEES. If I catch any of them on my property, I have them arrested for trespassing & take them to court and charge $5,000.00 per charge per day. If they don't pay I place them into contempt of court & let the courts turn aginst them. It does work this way.

[mass55th]

Has anybody stopped to think that perhaps this guy used a weapon in the commission of his crimes? I know the article doesn't say it, but it's still a possibility, especially since journalists conveniently leave important facts like that out when writing their articles.

[FirstTomato]

If the felonious crimes the guy had committed did NOT involve the use of a firearm, then he should be allowed to use them.

[irish guard]

I had an old bartender friend who used to say, when God made ducks, he didn't make seasons.....

Unfortunately for this guy, he should have known better after two felonies that he would be in deep stuff if he did anything wrong. I don't deer hunt, but I know there is a season and I also know I can't hunt even my own land out of season.

[GreatOne]

I'm a county prosecutor and have a convicted sex offender in the same position (consensual sex with a vulnerable adult 8 years ago). Instead of shipping him back to prison for 5 years, we're having him plead to a lesser offense and do some county jail time.

That's the problem with federal laws - the judges cannot deviate from them, and the prosecutors don't look at the cases on a case-by-case basis. Can't work as if every situation fits into one hole.

[Travis McGee]

ping.

[waterstraat]

If a convicted felon loses his right to bear arms, then he also loses his right to a jury trial on all other offences, he also loses his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, freedom of speech, religion, etc.

You cant just take away ""one"" of the Bill of Rights, you have to take them all away.

[ColdSteelTalon]

Well,

Once a convict has been punished his civil rights should be restored. The United States is one of the few modern nations that still revoke civil rights for life from a felony conviction.

If I were a convicted felon in this country, with no hope of getting my rights back no matter how clean I lived no matter how hard I tried, with no abilitiy to get a decent job.

Why should I even try to obey the law when I will pay for it for the rest of my life no matter what.

It seems to me that of you are going to let a person out of prison it is only fair to give them a shot at redemption.

Otherwise you should just kill all felons and be done with it.

We should work to have most criminal records expunged after a certain period of time (not a pardon) so at least ex-cons would have abetter chance at improving their lives and get a chance to live clean. An exception to this would be for very violent crimes.

[jmc813]

Thoughts?

[prisoner6sson]

Oh come ON! Then again this is the Great Socialist State of Pittsburgh PA. NOTHING here amazes me anymore.

prisoner6

[Thumper1960]

On another thread......a man who has 21 drunk driving arrests, and was busted yet again, could receive 5 years for being a drunken driver felon.

OK, so......a guy shoots deer on his own property and isn't charged with being a danger to anyone else gets 15 years......a habitual drunk driver may get 5 years.

Nah, no "disconnect", here.

I wonder if Mr. Lush has been able to hunt all this time?

One wonders......hmmmmmm

[Publicus]

He needs to contact NRA's legal department ASAP to appeal and file countersuit.

[Jhoffa_]

This is insane..

Considering that ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET A GUN IS READ THE CLASSIFIEDS AND THEN DIAL THE PHONE, if you can't trust someone with their Constitutional right to K&BA because of a felony conviction, then the reality is that you can't trust them in society period.

As guns are only as far away as the closest "Tradin Post" classified ad's or similar.

To act like we are all somehow safer as a result of this is simply laughable.

[FreedomCalls]

President Bush can use his power to pardon anytime he wants. He does not have to wait until the last few hours of his Presidency. Let's get a letter writing campaign together to write to the President to get him to put right this travesty of justice.