Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Destruction of a Family

The Boston Globe reports on the sentencing of Lakeisha Gadson, whom we've discussed before.

Closing a case that gripped the city, Lakeisha Gadson was sentenced yesterday to 2 1/2 years in jail for misleading authorities investigating the shooting death of her 8-year-old son in 2007.

Most of the sentence was suspended, and she will probably be released by the beginning of spring, prosecutors said.


I'm sorry she's going to jail at all. Something about this case makes me sympathetic, in spite of her criminal record and obvious irresponsibility as a parent and guardian.

The damage: 7-year-old nephew shot and killed the 8-year-old son. The older teenage boy went away for a year, now he's out. Lakeisha is going away for a few months after living through this nightmare.

That's what I call the total destruction of a family. But, what can we do. That's life in the ghetto, right.

Proper gun control laws, which we've never had as Laci always points out, would require that we question the last legitimate owner of that gun. That guy should be in jail right now explaining how he let a deadly weapon slip into the criminal world. It should be the primary mandate of every gun owner to not allow that to happen.

Proper registration and licensing can aid in this endeavor. Reporting theft immediately would have to be part of it, obviously. A combination of these requirements would take a major bite out of the gun flow which now goes unabated. Gun owners would have to start being extremely responsible.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

14 comments:

  1. So the actual criminal should not be in jail, but the last person who went ahead and registered that gun (because they had no criminal intention), should be. That sure puts me a step further from accepting registration.

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  2. If this had been an employed white person with no criminal record, you would be screaming "shared responsibility" and "jail" in spite of what happened to the family as a result.

    Racist!

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  3. > That's what I call the total destruction of a family.

    I'm not really sure five kids by four different men--all who happen to be in jail--even counts as a family.

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  4. Van Dyke, and FWM called ME a racist.

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  5. TS, the point is in many cases the last registered owner of a firearm fucked up in some way. This needs to be examined and a determination needs to be made if it was an honest and unavoidable mistake or not.

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  6. MikeB: “the point is in many cases the last registered owner of a firearm fucked up in some way.”

    Yeah, by registering their firearm.

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  7. MikeB: “This needs to be examined and a determination needs to be made if it was an honest and unavoidable mistake or not.”

    The police can and do investigate and prosecute if someone knowingly passed a gun to a prohibited person. I take pause when you look at a case like this and picture the last legitimate gun owner as being the one in jail.

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  8. Mike--in what way was I alluding to race?

    I don't see any race other than white in the only list of marital separations I could find.

    I think FWM is right, seeing as you brought race up here.

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  9. Sorry Van Dyke, but you were alluding to race. "I'm not really sure five kids by four different men," is an obvious allusion to black women in the ghetto.

    TS, You say that a legitimate gun owner fucks up by registering his gun in the first place. Of course we're talking hypothetically, but if it were the law of the land, what would be the problem with it. It would make that man more careful how he disposes of his gun. He'd probably think twice before lending it to cousin Ronnie for a little target practice, and he damn sure wouldn't sell it to someone he doesn't know.

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  10. You know, guys, I hate to admit it, but I think MikeB is right.

    Think about it. If you use a gun and it turns out you fucked up and accidentally shot someone other than the person you meant to to shoot, you have just become a criminal.

    Under MikeB's new law, you could simply point the finger at the last legitimate owner, (because you're now a criminal, you're no longer a legitimate gun owner) be it the store you bough the gun at, or some guy at a gun show. Boom, right there, you're off the hook. You can't be held responsible for your actions, but the last legitimate owner sure can.

    I think this system is the tits, MikeB. Can we work on getting it expanded to include cars? Cause I figure, I could go drinking and driving, and blame it on the dealership. Yah!! No more responsibility for me!

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  11. MikeB: “Of course we're talking hypothetically..”

    No we are not. Since all dealer sales are traceable, and we have several states that ban private sales, and have registration- it is far from hypothetical. People are prosecuted if it turns out they were a straw purchaser or knowingly sold it to a prohibited person under current law.

    As I have said before, I am not as opposed to registration as most people who speak up for gun rights. However, the more I listen to you, the more opposed I get. You continually point your finger at the legitimate gun owner, and even under the laws we have, you’d still like to see more of them in jail. You look at a case like this, and without evidence assume there should be a gun buyer in jail- even as you defend the criminals. What about the destruction of the original gun owner’s family?

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  12. Mike, that is a stereotype. It applies equally well to prostitutes of any race, white trash, celebrities, gypsies, and citizens of Iceland.

    I can't help if you picture a black woman when I say that.

    I'm sure you picture the same if I were to say "welfare mom". Truth is most mothers on welfare are white.

    You're projecting a bias, just like our friend Laci's owner.

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  13. TS, I'm glad you're honing your argument and it's reinforcing your commitment.

    But don't take liberties with what I say. I want to look at the last lawful owner of a gun, not to exculpate the shooter, and not to blame truly innocent prople, but to determine if the guy who let the gun flow into the criminal world was really ignorant or innocent. In many cases we'll find he wasn't.

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  14. But don't take liberties with what I say.

    Right, because that never happens elsewhere on this blog. *rolleyes*

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