Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Domestic Murder - Suicide in Tennessee and Kentucky

 Local news reports

The man police said was responsible for shooting and killing his estranged wife inside a Green Hills medical office building has been found dead in Kentucky. 

Officials said 51-year-old Gilbert Devon Pearsall was found dead on the side of Interstate 24 outside of Paducah Monday, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
How does it work in Tennessee when a person picks up a misdemeanor for domestic abuse? Is he prohibited from buying guns in the future? Does he lose the ones he already owns? Do the police come to his home and search it for weapons.

I suspect the answer to these questions is "no."

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

11 comments:

  1. MikeB: “How does it work in Tennessee when a person picks up a misdemeanor for domestic abuse?”

    The same as every other state. We just went over this, Mike. Lautenberg Amendment is a federal law. Tennessee is part of the United States.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I asked three questions, TS. Don't tell me it works exactly the same way in NJ as it does in AZ.

      Delete
    2. Well, in New Jersey, hardly anyone owns a legal gun anyway. But yes, a Federal law applies to all states.

      Delete
    3. 1) Yes
      2) Yes
      3) Case by case as a judge would have to issue a warrant. That whole 4th amendment thing (also applicable in NJ).

      Delete
    4. Well, you see, that's the problem. How in the hell are we supposed to expect a convicted wife-beater to turn ALL his guns in? We can't and they don't.

      Delete
    5. So what's the better solution: throw out all Constitutional protections, namely the Fourth and Fifth Amendment? Ideally, a wife beater would be thrown in jail long enough at least for the wife to pack up and leave for good, but we can't make that happen, either. You want perfect solutions to messy problems, and life is too complex for that.

      Delete
    6. Wife calls the police and tells them that “wife-beater” didn’t get rid of his guns. Then the judge issues a search warrant, and if the police find guns his misdemeanor DV is now felony possession. Do you really dislike the 4th amendment?

      Delete
  2. Gilbert Pearsall said..."I don't have anything to lose. I'll kill you and then myself."

    I wonder why the police didn't have a security detail on her. Certainly it's the constitutional duty of the government to provide protection for a individual who's in danger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She should have had a gun, right Bill?

      Delete
    2. If she had a firearm, I don't know if it would have helped her, but not having one definitely wouldn't help either.

      Delete
  3. By the way, if I recall correctly, I know that building. The first floor has a good Indian buffet. I can tell you that this kind of thing rarely happens in Green Hills. It's mostly professionals, college students, and wanna-be hippies, with the stores that you'd expect for that market.

    ReplyDelete