[Durham INC] Please write Durham city council with support for the Bullet Ownership Bill

[SimpleList]

Bad people always make it worse for those law abiding citizens who want to 
maintain some semblance of privacy and freedom. And though I am not entirely 
against the idea, it seems to me a more of a 'fell good' sort of bill that 
may only provide just a small dent of change. Bad people with a plan 
generally do not go through the usual legal channels to obtain the tools of 
their trade. Stupid bad people might, but a lot of bad people are much 
smarter than the public gives them credit.

Nonetheless, let's support this bill if not to just make it a bit more 
difficult for the bad guys/gals. But it may not be as worthy if what Randy 
asserts does not come to fruition.

However, should we really be spending our time, energy and money on pushing 
a simple bill like the one proposed in lieu of directing our efforts toward 
the bigger picture? Why not focus on making database integration a reality? 
Communication is key to all success, and without access to neighboring 
databases with similar integrated platforms, how can law enforcement 
effectively and efficiently access information with other counties without 
having to contact several agencies and stairstepping personnel to obtain one 
simple piece of information easily accessible from within another county's 
own database? Every delay can mean another life, another crime or another 
opportunity to lose track of tasks.

Maybe if we pass this bill, other communities and regions will follow. But 
without the overall integration of informational databases, efficacy will be 
isolated to individual counties until further man and money power extends an 
investigator further out to other agencies (whereas integration can have 
immediate and unlimited regional access to information). In the meantime, 
the bad guys/gals will simply find another way to sidestep such a 
requirement as they have for years with the gun requirement.

As I said, I am not entirely against the idea of such a bill. But I 
wholeheartedly agree with Randy and believe that we must focus on the bigger 
issue at hand: Access to ready information through database integration (and 
other technological means). This can seriously make a change and make such a 
bill far more effective (even though the 'smarter' bad people will still 
find other means to easily obtain ammunition as they do now with artillery).

So, let us focus, too, on fixing the system of communication and integration 
& access to information. Even if that means the public at large may not have 
any concept of such database technologies and how beneficial this technology 
can be to our law enforcement and their ability to thwart crime. Proponents 
of the bill will gross more from such tandem efforts and our law enforcement 
personnel will have at their disposal a far more effective tool.

It is time an active dialog begins on this topic. Thanks Randy!

Skip





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "RW Pickle" <randy at 27beverly.com>
To: <inc-list at durhaminc.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Please write Durham city council with support for 
the Bullet Ownership Bill


> What folks fail to realize is that there really is no system in place
> (right now) that can accurately determine who is even a criminal, much
> less for something like this. But hopefully that will all be changing this
> year if we can get the Legislature to fund it. City law enforcement can't
> even talk to the computers of the County law enforcement. Same for the
> State and the Feds. The whole system of checking anything is messed up
> because of the different databases. Once this is fixed, then something
> like this has a chance of working.
>
> I'd rather see Council push the Legislature for database integration
> across the board; City, County, State, Feds. So when Orange County arrests
> the fellow who was involved with Eve Carson's death, they'll know he is on
> probation in Durham (or something like that; he should have been kept in
> jail 2 weeks prior to killing her, but the left hand could not talk to the
> right hand to know why...).
>
> Anyone can make their own bullets if they so desire. And for a lot less
> than you can buy them. Or just jump online and get them here:
>
> http://www.a1ammo.com/
>
> We're only a hour drive from Virginia, go get them there. Or if it does
> ever make it into law, you'll see "ammo houses" like you see liquor
> houses. Or maybe even the crack dealers will start carrying them to
> supplement their income. You have to be 21 in order to buy handgun bullets
> and most of the crimes being committed with guns around here are by much
> younger folks. So they're getting them somewhere already. And there is
> really no way (like registration of each bullet) to track where they come
> from. I heard a story from a Police Officer about the very first time
> crack came to Durham; how it got here and who brought it from where. They
> know all this. It came from NYC. No reason bullets couldn't come the same
> way...
>
> And how would this check for the person who has been committed to a mental
> institution previously? What do you do, ask them? A lot of the problems we
> have are directly related to "crazy" people with guns. What about them
> buying bullets?
>
> It sounds like a good idea, but it'll never work. Would it hurt anyone to
> make this a reality? Not really, but I think the push from the other
> direction relates to the fact that it's no one's business if they buy
> bullets or not. I'm not against the idea. I just can't see it working
> until we get all the databases talking to each other so we can find out
> all the information that is available on a person when needed. Therein
> lies the problem with this bullet idea...
>
> Do a little homework before you embrace an idea. Only dead fish follow the
> stream...
>
> RWP
> 27 Beverly
>
>> Hi folks. And happy new year.
>>
>> There is an initiative in Durham to have NC require identification (based
>> on background check) for the purchase of bullets as well as guns. This
>> item will be considered by the city council at their legislative session
>> (during which they determine the issues they will push with the NC State
>> legislature) tomorrow at 11 AM.
>>
>> I have attached an article that gives detailed information regarding this
>> bill, as well as the email I sent to the city council this morning.
>>
>> I have been told that city council has received a plethora of emails in
>> opposition to this bill and that the NRA has begun a campaign against it.
>> So our gov't officials really need to hear from those who are in favor of
>> the bill.
>>
>> Please take a moment and offer support for this bill by emailing the city
>> council TODAY, and ask others to do so:
>> council at ci.durham.nc.us
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Melissa
>>
>> Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
>> 301 Spring Garden Drive
>> Durham, NC 27713
>> mmr121570 at yahoo.com
>>
>>
>> --- On Wed, 1/7/09, Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> From: Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
>> Subject: Please support the Bullet Ownership Bill
>> To: council at ci.durham.nc.us
>> Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 10:18 AM
>>
>> I am writing with strong support for Reverend Whitley's ongoing fight to
>> require ID cards for the purchase of bullets.
>>
>> Convicted felons are not permitted to own guns, so why on earth would 
>> they
>> need bullets?
>>
>> It is ridiculous that our country, not only our state, doesn't require
>> registration for both. If this results in ammunition labs, as argued by
>> Paul Valone's Herald Sun guest column (Dec 21, 2008), then the latter is 
>> a
>> far more serious crime than buying bullets, and it should result in the
>> arrest, conviction and punishment of the culprits who should not be 
>> buying
>> guns, bullets, or any other such deadly materials in the first place.
>> Furthermore, it must be significantly more difficult to build such an
>> ammunition lab than to buy bullets from the nearest Walmart. By Mr.
>> Valone's arguments, teenage alcohol distilleries should be a common
>>  occurence.
>>
>> Surely the number of people dying from bullets discharged by those who
>> aren't allowed to own guns in the first place, would equal or surpass the
>> dangers associated with these hypothetical ammunition labs.
>>
>> Given the state of our probation system, in which inadequate staff cannot
>> even account for the whereabouts of many on probation, we should at least
>> put this minor hurdle in the path of criminals wishing to acquire
>> ammunition.
>>
>> Please push the NC legislature to at least require a minimal background
>> check for people who purchase bullets. If they need to register to
>> purchase a gun in the first place, then it should not be a major
>> production to require presentation of their gun registration in order to
>> purchase bullets. I had to go through at least that much effort in order
>> to get a Durham County Library card (photo id, utility bill, etc.).
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Melissa Rooney
>>
>> Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
>> 301 Spring Garden
>>  Drive
>> Durham, NC 27713
>> mmr121570 at yahoo.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>       _______________________________________________
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>>
>
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