Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Philip Markoff's Gun

Boston.com reports that the U.S. Attorney found no evidence the dealer broke any laws by selling the gun to Philip Markoff which he used to kill Julissa Brisman. It turns out that Markoff, who committed suicide in jail the other day, had used someone else's driver's license to purchase the gun. The family of the victim wanted the gun seller held responsible.

Authorities say Markoff bought the pistol using a driver’s license belonging to a man named Andrew Miller, who investigators determined had no connection to the case. They do not know how Markoff obtained the license, but said he and Miller resembled each other.

“It matched the general description,’’ said Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, whose office was prosecuting the case. Investigators later identified Markoff’s fingerprints on the gun application and on the gun itself, which they found hidden in a hollowed-out anatomy textbook in his apartment.

That sounds like the pro-gun attitude, "it matched the general description," what can I do? Obviously we need that eye-ball scanner they used in Minority Report.

Federal law prohibits dealers from selling handguns directly to out-of-state residents, but Markoff also presented proof of residency in New Hampshire, prosecutors said. Under New Hampshire law, gun buyers do not have to obtain a permit or present a New Hampshire driver’s license.

The apparent ease with which Markoff purchased a gun in another man’s name frustrated gun control advocates, who said looser gun laws in some states erode attempts to restrict sales.

“You couldn’t do this in Massachusetts,’’ said John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence, a Newton-based group. “That’s why he went to New Hampshire.’’

Don't some places require two or three valid ID cards to prove your identity? When you renew a driver's license or open a bank account they sure do. Why is it so difficult for the gun crowd to get with the program? Why do they defend these slip shod procedures that are directly involved in death and destruction? Why do they act so indignantly surprised when I blame them all?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

12 comments:

  1. What makes you think the proof of residency wouldn't have served as a valid second ID for the other institutions you listed?

    Markoff was an honor society med school student. That sure sounds like the kind of guy that would be prevented from buying a gun in a background check.

    The point is Markoff got his rocks off by breaking the law. His psychological profile specifically called him out as a person who gets a rush by proving that the rules don’t apply to him.

    He could have easily worked through the extensive MA regulations to purchase and own a handgun, but what is the fun in that? It's more interesting to obtain a NY licence and forge NH residency in order to purchase illegally out of state.

    Even Markoff's suicide was a demonstration that he isn't deterred by the rules that accompany a suicide risk inmate.

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  2. Don't some places require two or three valid ID cards to prove your identity?

    And your point is? He was already using someone else's identity to buy the gun. Requiring 2 forms of ID doesn't change that.

    He could have done the same thing in Mass.

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  3. Again...when you hear the gunloons talk about enforcing existing laws or cracking down on criminals---it's all BS.

    This case illustrates it: gunloons are willing to allow murders to take place because showing a second ID is against holy gunloon civil rights or some other such nonsense.

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  4. Of course, Jade has already extensively researched the subject and can conclusively show that requiring multiple forms of ID reduces criminal homicide.

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  5. The fact that it's easier to buy a gun than to open a bank account is an indication of how skewed the laws are in favor of gun rights.

    That's my point.

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  6. "The fact that it's easier to buy a gun than to open a bank account is an indication of how skewed the laws are in favor of gun rights."

    Except that is not true at all.

    The last bank account I opened I only provided my driver's license, nothing else for I.D. They also did not have to call the FBI and get the government's permission to open the bank account for me.

    Sorry Mike, you have to do better than that Jadeism.

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  7. FWM, The last bank account you opened was in 1980, right? Since then drug trafficking and terrorism has resulted in terrible hoops to jump through when opening a bank account.

    Meanwhile, down at the Buckeye State Gun Show, you can probably pick up anything you want for cash. Am I right?

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  8. Since then drug trafficking and terrorism has resulted in terrible hoops to jump through when opening a bank account.

    No it hasn't. I'm not sure where you are banking but I only needed to provide a picture ID at my last bank as well. Maybe Italy is different?

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  9. MikeB: “Meanwhile, down at the Buckeye State Gun Show, you can probably pick up anything you want for cash. Am I right?”

    No, you are not. And you know you are not. If you want to do a cash transaction you have to specifically seek out a private seller. That is not “anything you want”. Call that your “loophole” that needs fixing, but quit distorting the issue. You are not one of the people who still needs to be educated on this topic.

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  10. That’s “cash ONLY transaction”. You can still buy whatever you want with cash- then fill out the paperwork, but I don’t suppose that is what you meant.

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  11. I think you guys are exaggerating about the ease with which one can open a bank account or rent a car or do just about anything else these days. You're also exaggerating about the difficulty of buying "anything you want" at the local gun show.

    You're right TS I don't need to be educated on these things, especially by distorted descriptions which paint a false picture.

    Another thing you're doing is obfuscation by debating the details. The original point was a simple one. It's too damn easy to buy guns.

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  12. MikeB: “You're right TS I don't need to be educated on these things, especially by distorted descriptions which paint a false picture.”

    What did I say that was a false picture? Please show me the line. You however are trying to paint gun shows as a criminal haven where the rules don’t apply.

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