From Christopher Boardman:
CRIME CONTROL MEASURES
Recently Sen. Robert Cassilly (Dist. 34) advertised some bills he introduced to help curb crime in Maryland. Below are my comments.
S.B. 159 would increase the penalty for second degree murder from 30 to 40 years in prison. In my opinion this is not necessary because 30 years is already a long time and there may also be other charges that are consecutive or concurrent with the original charge. It is obvious that the recent killing of two deputies by a fugitive spurred Sen. Cassilly to contemplate this change. But supposing the shooter survived, there would be two convictions for second degree murder plus gun charges and perhaps others. What good would Sen. Cassilly’s amendment be?
S.B. 160 would increase the penalties for repeat drunken driving offenses, but there is already a good remedy and that is the breathaliser-ignition bill for convicted drunk drivers that is still bottled up in the House Judicial Proceedings Committee. If you are already convicted of drunken driving, under this bill, you will not be able to start your car until you pass the breathaliser attached to your car’s ignition. Why the chairman of the committee will not report the bill out to the floor, and why House members will not force him to do this through use of a discharge petition, I do not know. But it is a fact that many drunken drivers continue to live and operate in denial and they continue to be a hazard to others on the roads, such as the police officer who was killed by a drunken driver. Why Sen. Cassilly did not mention this remedy, I do not know and you will have to ask him for an answer. It is not acceptable that the penalties simply be increased for repeat offenses when the solution is to keep the driver from operating his vehicle if he cannot pass the breathaliser attached to his own car.
I am calling on members of the Harford County delegation to get this bill released and passed. Delegates Cassilly, Lisanti, McComas, Glass, McDonough, Impallaria, Szeliga, Reilly, and Senators Cassilly, Norman and Jennings, I am talking about you.
Gun Control: It is obvious even to the most blatant gun advocates, that guns are getting into the hands of fugitives, criminals and mental patients where the results are unspeakable tragedies of innocent people getting killed. There are way too many guns in circulation in my opinion, while I do realize some people think there are not enough guns in circulation. If Sheriff Gahler wants to do something that will probably help reduce gun violence, he should sponsor some countywide gun buy-backs to help reduce the numbers of guns that tend to fall into the hands of people who will misuse them. This also includes children who may find guns in their homes; it also would help cut down on family-related shootings.
These are some of my comments about guns and crime legislation. Please note that The Aegis refused to publish any of these comments which are directed at public problems and public remedies. For too long the county has had to live with the prejudices and restrictions of Aegis editors Ted Hendricks and Alan Vought, who fail in the effort to provide a meaningful public discourse about community problems and solutions.
Thank you to The Dagger for publishing this.
Christopher Boardman
It should be obvious to people even such as Mr. Boardman that gun buy-backs do not one thing for getting guns out of the hands of those who possess them illegally; they only disarm the lawful. Unfortunately, it’s not obvious to the oblivious, which is why these useless proposals, and those currently churning in Annapolis, keep floating around like gnats. And they’re no more useful than gnats.
A better idea is to change the restrictive concealed carry permit regulations to include self-protection as an approved reason to carry a concealed handgun in the State of Maryland. More concealed carry equates with less crime and it is proven. Allow all retired Law Enforcement to carry a concealed weapon by simple proof as retired law enforcement. It makes me feel better already.
But it does come with an increase in accodentital gun deaths.
A better idea is to change the restrictive regulation for concealed carry in the State of Maryland and include self-defense as approved reason to carry concealed. Maryland and the entire country should allow all retired law enforcement to carry concealed weapons with the simple proof as retired law enforcement and no other documentation is necessary. More concealed carry by law ABIDING citizens equates to less crime, it’s proven!
That was a pretty funny comedy routine!….yes, it made me chuckle.
Now, I will relinquish my firearms as soon as the government proves to me that they have completely disarmed those possessing firearms illegally, along with criminals that possess firearms (legally or not), along with the very government itself so that not a SINGLE PERSON in this country possesses a firearm. Until that time comes, I’ll hold on to my firearms…..not because I “like guns”, but because I don’t trust that others wishing to inflict harm, or force control, won’t use them against me if given the chance.
Why doesn’t the county declare itself to be a “Gun Free Zone” rather than create an epidemic of burglaries, certainly that will have the same effect as “money for guns”. That program has virtually produced NO measurable results in Chicago, Detroit, DC, LA or any where for that matter. It has produced a warm fuzzy feeling amongst those who are almost totally isolated from gun violence. Furthermore that program has had more of an effect on peoples taxes than preventing crime.
Yea look how well it worked in the city!!! Duh!!!!!
If you don’t like the second amendment that is fine. Your ability to disagree is protected by the first amendment. If you would like to ban guns that is fine too. Go ahead and get a constitutional amendment passed to do it. http://www.mintpressnews.com/the-facts-that-neither-side-wants-to-admit-about-gun-control/207152/
Some guy told me (who lived in an area that did “gun buy backs”) that he would go to the gun shop and lawfully purchase the cheapest and most undesirable firearm they had at the time, then take it to the ” gun buy back” for a profit.
Obviously you can’t purchase a firearm that is more expensive than whatever it is they are giving you in exchange.
#Winning
Mr. Boardman,
No offense, but are you an idiot? What criminal in their right mind would turn in their gun for money? You sir, live in a fantasy world. More importantly, how does a law abiding citizen turning in their gun make Harford County more safe? The fact is, because law abiding citizens have guns in their homes makes Harford County more safe.
The fact is, none of these “gun buy back programs” have any impact on reducing crime. Face it, you don’t like guns. Here’s an idea for you, if you don’t like guns, put a sign in your front yard that says, “THIS IS A GUN FREE HOME!” Let’s see how well that works for you.
Thank you, I’ll keep my guns and the ability to protect my family.
In my heart I feel that Mr. Boardma means well but in reality there is no evidence that these gun buy backs really have any positive results. Mr. Boardman is obviously a liberal and a Democrat. I feel from his prior passages that he believes in the the basic principles and philosophies of that party. Conceptually it was probably a good thing. It was originally used to help the common man to get the opportunity to better themselves. If someone was willing to work with the government and country than the government would work with them. Great idea right. The flaw is the Democratic Party is full of takers who are not willing to give back on a regular enough basis. The party has been over run with people who have entitlement beliefs. Too many feel that the laws do not apply. People in that mindset who do not want obey the law are often classified as criminals. Many of those criminals utilize firearms to accomplish their means. Criminals are the people you want to prohibit from possessing firearms. Criminals will continue to acquire firearms through a variety of ways. Criminals will not voluntarily surrender their weapons. The buy back program will never work with criminals. Mandatory, no parole, 20 year sentences would work far better than a gun buy back. Sadly you would never see liberal Democrats support and enforce such sanctions.
You are much kinder than I am. I think Boardman’s a moron.
We can’t have mandatory penalties, it would prohibit too many people (in jail) from casting another Democrat vote.
It’s all feel good on paper but that’s certainly not bow the Maryland Judicial System works.
Felon voters. Lol
I’m really surprised the Voter age in this state hasn’t been lowered to 10 years old yet. I think what holds them back is the accidental votes to Republicans.
The simple solution is to lock up the bad guys for a long, long time. Criminals with multiple felony’s should not be walking the streets but they are. It’s a combination of liberal judges, juries and Dems that allow them to do so. Study the backgrounds of those running for office, not necessarily their qualifications, and vote the libs and do-gooders out.
REBUTTAL:
Sheriff Gahler: “I Have Never Seen One Piece of Compelling Information that Would Cause Me to Believe Gun Buyback Programs Do Anything to Promote Public Safety”
http://www.daggerpress.com/2016/03/11/sheriff-gahler-i-have-never-seen-one-piece-of-compelling-information-that-would-cause-me-to-believe-gun-buyback-programs-do-anything-to-promote-public-safety/
Sheriff Jeffy should know you can’t prove negative and that makes me sad.
Perhaps he can prove unicorns don’t exist next.
Can’t prove a negative? Lib BS as normal. You would vote to protect the unicorns if Obama told you to. I say Gahler for Governor!
Mr. Boardman- A few quick thoughts…..
S.B. 159- What good is the Bill? For starters any additional time that you can add to a conviction provides several benefits to the Prosecutor, the Court and to the public itself. The quick answer is a simple one, eligibility for parole is pushed farther out, keeping the convict off the streets and possibly further reducing the chances of a repeat offense (relative to the mental condition of the convicted). I personally believe that this particular crime would have warranted a 1st Degree charge; he may not have ‘pre-planned’ the attack on Deputy Dailey, but he had no intention of letting him address him or remove him from the premises. That is enough in my book. I also take issue with the concept of ‘2nd degree’ murder in general; it is too widely applied when many murders clearly warrant the 1st degree and the death penalty.
S.B. 160- Here’s the simple answer to your question; the Ignition-breathalyzer (Ignition Interlock System) can easily be overridden just by getting a sober friend to blow into it for you. Though many are designed to require periodic ‘retests’ at random intervals, a drunk driver can kill at 100 paces (leaving the parking lot) just as easily as he can 10 miles down the road. If the device had the capability to distinguish at a genetic level, then they could possibly be ‘the solution’. This device is an aid, but not a solution by any stretch. My personal view is that anyone convicted of a DUI/DWI (Alcohol or Drugs), should be fined heavily and removed from the road for a minimum of one year; license revoked and a successful completion of the driver’s education and testing program. Hit them where it hurts, the pocketbook. They can take the bus or walk.
Gun Control- Guns have always been available to most anyone who wants to obtain them. Distinguishing between the criminal, mental patient, gang member, etc. is nonsensical and simply counterproductive. What is of paramount importance is the ability to control just how firearms are made available and how law enforcement and our elected leaders can ensure that people like David Evans do not possess the ability to obtain firearms. David Evans purchased his firearm legally, he did not buy it off the street, nor did he steal it. If we had a coherent, cohesive, national registry (database) that would have ‘tracked’ this man’s legal and medical ‘issues’ over the past 20+ years and made said data available nationally at the ‘click of a mouse’ to anyone in law enforcement, the probability is, his firearm would have been confiscated by the courts/law enforcement some time ago. There are of course, many other shortcomings in the legal and law enforcement systems that require addressing, but this is a glaring example of the ‘System’ failing us all. This catastrophic failure lies at the feet of our elected officials, not on Sheriff Gahler’s doorstep.
Gun buyback programs have been proven over and over again to be completely ineffective and a colossal waste of taxpayer funds that would be better served applied to other solutions in the effort to curb gun violence and associated crime. The overwhelming numbers of firearms turned in during these efforts are old, broken and generally useless. Throwing away Dad’s rusted war souvenir or Granddaddy’s old scatter gun is not going to prevent anything other than cheating some descendant or avid firearm collector out of a valuable antique. No, turning in your old relics or broken nut crackers is not going to prevent an angry spouse from killing his or her partner, nor will it prevent a child from picking up a loaded revolver. Gun control is the proper regulation, education, storage/safeguarding and handling of firearms from the manufacturer to owner. With respect to cutting down on family shootings, let’s discover what makes one spouse so angry as to want to kill the other (no gun, no problem… a knife or baseball bat works just as well). It is the mind that controls the actions, not the implement.
Sheriff Gahler has done much for Harford County in just two years on the job, and like most, I have been overwhelmingly impressed with his handling of the Dailey-Logsdon tragedy. I trust the Sheriff and his staff is working diligently to address gun related crime in this County.
Final Thought- Just a word of advice, if you publically call out the editors of a newspaper you hope will entertain your editorials, you may just find yourself forever at the bottom of the pile when the time comes to ‘go to print’. I won’t comment on your opinion of their operation, but in my experience, they have provided both sides of an issue on a regular basis, at least in the ‘Letters to the Editor’ column.
Mr. Boardman, how about the Lancet study that suggests that background checks on all guns and ammunition plus ballistic fingerprints on all guns could possibly reduce gun deaths by 90%.?
http://wapo.st/24TUMar
how would you enforce the background checks on secondary firearm sales? And Maryland tried the ballistic fingerprints, it turned out to be a waste of money
I heard the state was running out of room for the storage of shell casings, I also heard that the machine that “scanned” the shell casings had not functioned in years, hence, the elimination of a program that as far as I know, solved no crimes. The “shell casing” nonsense in this state was only for transfers of new handguns, by the way. It was one and done and never revisited.
“Balsitic fingerprint” is great when the investigators have the suspect firearm and suspect shell casings, and maybe bullet fragments (rifling?).
As far as to “scan” every gun that anyone ever buys to “go back on” makes and made no sense.
Like a car, a firearm wears, and also simply replacing wear components like the extractor, ejector, firing pin and perhaps, even the barrel would negate any previois “balsitic Fingerprint” that was done on it before.
Flawed process and something like “balsitic Fingerprint” every lawfully owned handgun on a regular basis would never be practical since the half assed approach didn’t do much but waste money from the start.
ballistic. lol
The new technology is microstamping the firing pin. California and DC are trying this out now. BG checks on all guns and ammunition and microstamping all guns.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-ballistic-fingerprinting-20151109-story.html
Anyone who thinks that a buy back program will get illegal guns out of the hands of criminals is totally insane.
Let’s buy back the cars from Drunk Drivers to prevent them from driving again.
Let’s buy back the houses for Domestic Violence subjects so they don’t go home and beat someone again.
Let’s have an amnesty day, and have everyone bring in their cocaine / heroin / marijuana / illegal drugs for a $50 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings.
Let’s have a table at Target and Walmart to buy back the stolen credit cards.
Stupidity abounds in our elected officials. Exactly why I don’t vote. Before you say it, no…one vote does not make a difference.
One vote does not make a difference.
You should ask the two individuals running for Aberdeen City Council and tied after the total vote count if one more vote would have made a difference?
I buy as many guns as possible and get them into as many felon hands as possible. You have no idea how many guns are available on the black market. It makes me feel wet in the pants every time I hurt you and believe I helpd my fellow felon. I don’t sell them, I give them away! Freedom from pigs and rich pricks, not to mention my favorite state of affairs…..anarchy!