Wisconsin gets tough on straw purchases

[schr8er2000]

Assembly passes bill to make straw buying a felony
By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel

April 15, 2010 7:16 p.m. | Madison — The state would train its sights on the potentially deadly crime of straw purchasing - having one person buy a firearm on behalf of a felon who can't legally buy one, under a bill approved by the Assembly Thursday.

Straw buying is a felony under federal law, but a misdemeanor under state law. The bill, which makes the crime a felony under state law as well, passed on a voice vote and now heads to the Senate.Police and prosecutors in Milwaukee for more than a decade have called for a crackdown on straw buyers, including tougher penalties on them. Milwaukee authorities also want more scrutiny on the West Milwaukee store Badger Guns and its predecessor, Badger Outdoors.

Badger Outdoors and later Badger Guns were involved in three-quarters of the straw-gun cases prosecuted in eastern Wisconsin in the past five years, according to a Journal Sentinel review of federal court records. In the past two years, all six of the Milwaukee police officers shot were wounded with guns purchased at Badger Guns or its predecessor, Badger Outdoors.

Badger Guns' owner, Adam Allan, has said he is doing everything he can to eliminate illegal sales, from banning cell phone use in the store to tough questioning of customers. He said the high crime figures involving guns from Badger Guns are explained by his large sales and proximity to Milwaukee.

[Corn Flake]

While Wisconsin is ass backwards in their gun laws, this is one that I would support. I have no sympathy for straw purchasers, period. Not only it should be a felony, but if that gun is later used in a crime, the straw purchaser should be charged as an accomplice. A straw purchaser would think it twice if he knows that he might go to prison for the rest of his life if that gun is used in a first degree murder.

That'll work better than 1 gun a month rationing, lost and stolen ordinances, or any other crap that the Brady bunch can think.

[WhiteFeather]

Go read some of the articles on PAFOA , some cases they don't even get ANY jail time and when they do get some jail time its usually only a slap on the wrist.

[Corn Flake]

And that's the reason why there are so many guns in the wrong hands. But, liberals want to make it hard for the law abiding citizens instead of prosecuting criminals to the FULL extent of the law. Because as we all know, criminals are just victims of society, right?

[MDJschool]

The topic of 'straw purchasing' never seems to fail in ferreting out the anti-gunners on PAFOA.

If you let a would-be murderer breath the same air as you, should you be an accomplice to murder if you let him have that air knowing what he would do? What if you didn't know? Isn't the right to be self-governed, to receive due process, and to protect life, liberty, and property just as important as breathing?

[Corn Flake]

The topic of 'straw purchasing' never seems to fail in ferreting out the anti-gunners on PAFOA.

If you let a would-be murderer breath the same air as you, should you be an accomplice to murder if you let him have that air knowing what he would do? What if you didn't know? Isn't the right to be self-governed, to receive due process, and to protect life, liberty, and property just as important as breathing?

Apples and oranges.

[Wiley-X]

As long as there are classes of prohibited people, buying for those people should be a serious crime.

[7998]

A straw purchaser would think it twice .

You give the criminals too much credit. The problem is they don't think logicaly.

[MostlyHarmless]

You give the criminals too much credit. The problem is they don't think logicaly.

There still is some logic involved. You need to keep in mind that one or two years in jail disrupts these peoples lives much less than it would disrupt your or my life. They usually don't have a long term, full time job to lose. Their "job" will be held open by their gang or the welfare system, so they are right back in "business" when they get out. And among their families and friends, jail time is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sending these people to jail for 23 months (which seems to be the standard sentence for straw purchase in Philly), is more like sending 5 bad kids together into the timeout corner and let them play there.


Jan

[NY Refugee]

You give the criminals too much credit. The problem is they don't think logicaly.

You don't give them enough, Criminals are not morons that can not get a regular job, most of them chose the criminal life style they are smart and consistently looking at different ways to get what they want through what ever means possible.
They take advantage of the "poor misguided soul" that many have on criminals and they know how to play the system and the liberals.