Posted on 08/10/2007 12:24:12 PM PDT by neverdem
Suit alleges ex-Sheriff Blanas issued licenses for concealed weapons as political favors.
The FBI is looking into concealed-gun permits issued by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, according to documents filed in a lawsuit that alleges former Sheriff Lou Blanas issued permits as political favors.
Documents filed Friday in the federal civil rights suit say FBI investigators have requested gun permit documents from the department, which include a permit Blanas issued to Sacramento businessman Edwin G. Gerber. Gerber gave $3,500 to Blanas' election campaign, election records show, and bought a vacation home with Blanas in Reno in the fall of 2005, according to property records.
The former sheriff signed Gerber's gun permit a day before leaving office last summer. He issued the approval without following the department's usual procedure, which calls for a three-person committee to review applications from people asking to carry a loaded gun in public, according to interviews and court documents.
FBI spokesman Steven Dupre declined to say whether an investigation was taking place.
Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said he could not comment on any possible FBI review.
Law enforcement sources said the FBI did request information from the department's concealed-weapons permit division. But those sources said they had no knowledge of whether Gerber's application was included in that request.
Blanas and Gerber did not return repeated calls from The Bee.
State law says sheriffs and police chiefs can award concealed-weapon permits based on "good cause" to people of "good moral character."
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department sets the bar higher. Applicants typically are interviewed by a deputy and required to take a gun safety class in addition to facing the review panel.
McGinness said the permit approval committee was put in place more than a decade ago to keep the elected sheriff from deciding who gets...
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
This is one among many reasons why if a permit to carry is even imposed, it should be on a “shall issue” basis. Corruption and power are hopelessly entwined, and when you get someone like the sheriff in question who is easily corrupted, legitimate people unwilling or unable to bribe the corrupt official get screwed.
BUMP!
This is yet one more reason why states must never allow ‘may issue’ permits as opposed to ‘shall issue: it invites corruption.
A few years ago there was a case, which time does not allow me to dig for the link, of a NYC Police official who was indicted for trading CCW permit approvals to members and crew of rock bands for backstage access.
There was a sheriff in nearby Isleton, CA, that used to issue CCW permits to anyone who was qualified. I believe the CA legislature subsequently shut him down by requiring permits to only be issued to citizens in a particular sheriff’s jurisdiction.
Does anyone else around here remember this issue?
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