Probe begun at girl's death leads to 26 arrests

[SecularMotion]

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A total of 26 people have been arrested on weapons, drug and other charges after an investigation that began with the accidental killing of a 5-year-old girl by a Grants Pass man using a military-style rifle as a crutch to get up from a couch, authorities said.

The investigation uncovered a ring in southern Oregon that specialized in "straw" purchases of weapons, buys designed to conceal the ultimate recipient, the Grants Pass Daily Courier reported.

The man convicted in the girl's killing, Jon A. Meyer Jr., 30, was involved in such a purchase, touching off the investigation revealed Wednesday in a statement from the Jackson County sheriff's office.

Five more people are being sought. The investigation involved federal state and local agencies.

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/national/probe-begun-at-girl-s-death-leads-to-arrests/article_34110051-81ba-57f1-af4f-c766f075c30b.html

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I remember reading about that death last summer.

Daily Kos had (has?) an on-going roundup of gun deaths since the Sandy Hook massacre, and that one got a few more lines than some of the others, given the stupidity involved. I'm glad to see that at least in this case, things weren't simply swept under the rug with the 'accident' label, but instead they took that one death and found a way to do some good and get several dozen criminals off the street as a result.

[Eleanors38]

11. "get...criminals off the street." What we need.

I support tough sentences when repeat-felons commit violence using ANY means. Daily Kos has probably learned that there hasn't been a mass murder at a school since Sandy Hook. It's too much to hope there will not be another, but perhaps schools have taken some of the steps advocated in this group for many months.

[Hoppy]

2. --- and he only gets 6 years?

[hack89]

4. That is a mid-range sentence for voluntary manslaughter

For instance, the federal law against voluntary manslaughter states that defendants should receive fines, a prison sentence of not more than ten years or both. Californias manslaughter law, on the other hand, gets a little more specific and states that anyone found guilty of manslaughter should receive a prison sentence of 3, 6 or 11 years.

http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/voluntary-manslaughter-penalties-and-sentencing.html

[gejohnston]

15. That is for the state crime

Hopefully the feds will take care of the rest for multiple violations of the Gun Control Act, straw purchasing, and at least one violation of the National Firearms Act (according to the article, the crutch was converted to full auto, I seriously doubt this guy has a manufactures license and I seriously doubt that the machine gun is registered).
Each straw purchase can get up to ten years (although I don't know of a case of anyone getting anything near that). The illegal machine gun, another ten years, although the average sentence for unregistered NFA weapon is something like 18 months.
If this happened on an Indian reservation or a national park (or if manslaughter was a federal crime) the manslaughter would be a mandatory minimum of 30 years (IIRC) because of the machine gun.

[BrotherIvan]

3. Easy access to guns means idiots and bad guys get guns

I remember this story and how damn stupid and sad it was at the time. Gunners argued that guns are safe when handled properly, and yet there are too many stories of idjits using them improperly--as a damn crutch! So now this complete idiot was able to buy lots of guns and sell them to other people, all because it's so damn easy for anyone to get their hands on a gun.

[Eleanors38]

7. Yeah, it's easy to get 'em, but not as easy as dope.

What do you suggest?

[BrotherIvan]

9. Decriminalize drugs and put heavy restrictions on guns

That's what I suggest. And I'll bet as much money as I have that deaths would go down. "Dope," as you put it, potentially kills the user, not potentially everyone else. Countries like Portugal are proving that decriminalization works and that addiction rates have not risen. Drugs cost so much because they are illegal, not because they are rare. But the OP wasn't about "dope," it was about guns.

What do you suggest? The status quo?

[Eleanors38]

10. Actually, your prohibitionist approach is fanciful.

Some real efforts:

1) Promote passage of UCBs
2) Toughening the sentences of repeat felons using guns
3) Mass campaign to get gun-owners to use safe storage. A current limited camp. may be having effect, as childhood accidental deaths due to firearms continue to fall from already low levels.
4) Concentrated efforts to build new institutions, businesses, schools and family support within inner-city neighborhoods where homicides and shootings are Heavily concentrated.
5) Harden school security and response efforts to keep another mass shooting from occuring their (none since Sandy Hook). These may be having an impact already.

Stuff we can do instead of gratuitous culture war.

[BrotherIvan]

12. Well, I agree with those

I would also shut down all private sales and gun shows. Certainly any responsible person could agree with that.

I've got a million ways that guns, which harm others by accident or on purpose, should be restricted. But then again, EVERY developed nation has far stricter gun control than the US. They think we are batshit crazy to have free-flowing guns. Maybe I'm not the one who's...fanciful.

And here you and I are again, arguing about your "rights" in a thread about a dead kid.

[Eleanors38]

13. Nothing wrong with gun shows or private sales...

the trick is to require if possible UBCs, by opening NICS, issuing FOIDs, or allowing access to NICs-type portals for all transactions.

You're not going to eliminate gun shows as long as there is a First Amendment.

You need to understand some things: By saying you have "a million ways" to restrict guns, you are obviously defining yourself as an extreme prohibitionist, not to be taken seriously, not to be dealt with. Frankly, I don't much care about what "EVERY developed nation" thinks about our gun policies and 2A. And listen up good: I care about kids, more than to string out a thread to evoke some kind of contrived emotion, and when people don't jump through that Hula Hoop, to take another cheap shot. I think many controller/banners have a difficult time telling the difference between real compassion for kids, and an opportunity to smear others with the increasing peak hate at DU. All clear now?

[IronGate]

16. +1000.

It's pretty clear that his ultimate goal is outlawing the private ownership of firearms.
I've no use for people like that, especially when they attempt to dance in the blood of children.

[villager]

5. A "military-style rifle" used "as a crutch!"

Who woulda thought!

[AtheistCrusader]

6. Mosin-Nagant? Works as a boat oar too.

Also, pole vault.

[Eleanors38]

8. Was the rifle a Mosin-Nagant??

[AtheistCrusader]

14. No.

It's a mosin-nagant joke. MN's can't fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger.

What that guy had was fully illegal, no matter how you look at it.