Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Bloomberg Won't Be Going to West Virginia

The Charleston Daily Mail published a report on the law in West Virginia making Bloomberg-type sting operations of gun dealers illegal. Thanks to FatWhiteMan for the link.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - New York City has sent out undercover investigators to catch gun dealers violating background check laws. But West Virginia lawmakers want to make it a crime for investigators to conduct such sting operations in West Virginia.

The Legislature passed a measure Saturday that targets anyone who tries to entice a firearms dealer or private seller under circumstances that the individual knows is unlawful.

The bill addresses a tactic employed by New York during stings conducted last year at seven guns shows in Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada.

The bill had also proposed allowing felons and others otherwise barred from having guns to possess antique firearms. But the House Judiciary Committee removed that provision, and the Senate agreed to the change Saturday.

Why do thet need a special law for this? I thought people told me this was already illegal activity? What's wrong with these pro-gun types? Do they want to make this "illegaler?" Why do they need more laws when they have the Constitution on their side?

Perhaps they were wrong about this being illegal. Perhaps with the cooperation of local authorities, Mayor Bloomberg was within his rights to investigate the provenance of guns associated with crime in his city. But, I guess he won't be doing it in West Virginia.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

11 comments:

  1. Whether it's already illegal or not, anything that knocks Bloomberg down a peg on his tyranny pedestal is a good thing.

    His name is Mayor Bloomberg, not Supreme Overlord Bloomberg. He should stay in his own rat hole.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Why do thet need a special law for this? I thought people told me this was already illegal activity? What's wrong with these pro-gun types? Do they want to make this "illegaler?" Why do they need more laws when they have the Constitution on their side?"

    You answered your own questions. These "stings" did not really uncover illegal activity and thus there were no prosecutions. West Virginia is not making it "illegaller", they are saying, "don't try your sensationalistic nonsense here."

    "Perhaps they were wrong about this being illegal. Perhaps with the cooperation of local authorities, Mayor Bloomberg was within his rights to investigate the provenance of guns associated with crime in his city."

    Bloomberg didn't have the cooperation of, nor did he even notify, local authorities. Further, there was absolutely no established link between those "dealers" and New York.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bloomberg & his cronies are NOT authorized by law to do "stings."

    WV is just telling Bloomie not to try his crap in their state unless he and his buddies want to get arrested.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Again, RuffRidr has asserted Bloomberg's stings were illegal. Yet he cannot explain why any state authorities have not charged Bloomberg with wrongdoing.

    Frankly, this legislation--if enacted--won't pass legal muster.

    --JadeGold

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Again, RuffRidr has asserted Bloomberg's stings were illegal. Yet he cannot explain why any state authorities have not charged Bloomberg with wrongdoing."

    If laws were broken in these "stings" they were federal laws. It would be up to the Feds to prosecute. Of course, your question could be asked the other way too: if these were really illegal acts caught on film, why have none of them been prosecuted for them?

    "Frankly, this legislation--if enacted--won't pass legal muster."

    Actually this legislation did pass and as soon as Governor Manchin signs it, it will be legal muster.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ruffrider is still at a loss on how to explain why Bloomberg wasn't charged after doing something illegal. I guess he can rely on the old "it's a conspiracy" excuse.

    Of course, this legislation won't pass legal muster. No court in WV (or elsewhere) is going to hold up a felony conviction for exposing criminal activity.


    --JadeGold

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. RuffRidr, Sorry I may have been a little slow in approving that last comment.

    I think you've got a good point that not having been charged with a crime is not proof that one hasn't been committed. But I don't think Bloomberg and the kid in this video are guilty of crimes. I think they've shown that it's easy to do so, that's all.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good for West Virginia. Let's hope this becomes a trend.

    ReplyDelete