Posted on 02/28/2008 9:05:42 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
It's not difficult to find boarded-up buildings in the City of Albany and Albany County District Attorney David Soares says that means it's not difficult to find a firearm.
"These are 'community guns,'" says Soares. "These are guns that are being shared by more than one individual and we also know that they use abandoned buildings and vacant property to stash their guns."
Now, the district attorney's office is asking property owners to help him get these "community guns" off the streets.
Soares's office has sent 1,300 letters to owners of vacant properties.
The letters ask landlords to consent to searches of their properties so that law enforcement officials can look for signs crime.
Some Albany residents tell FOX23 News that they like the idea.
"By all means, if they can get the permission from whoever owns these empty buildings, go for it," says Jose Rivera.
Susan Holland, the executive director of the Historic Albany Foundation, says the district attorney's initiative is just a small piece of a larger puzzle.
"It's a step in the right direction because then get them out and then put some resources into these buildings to stabilize them," Holland says. "Get rid of the blight. Hopefully, we'd like to see some of these neighborhoods come back."
Soares admits that this initiative could translate into more people carrying guns but he tells FOX23 News that he's confident that more armed criminals won't necessarily translate into more crime.
He explains, "The fact that they're carrying weapons actually would give us the opportunity not only to take a gun off the street but also take the individual willing to use them off the street."
The DA says it will be hard to quantify the success of this program.
"If we remove one gun through this initiative and people are on notice that they cannot use these vacant buildings, vacant lots to store either drugs or guns, to me, we're successful with this initiative," he says.
Soares tells FOX23 News that, so far, 241 vacant property owners have consented to searches of their properties.
Seven have declined.
The district attorney says he wants to wait until he hears from at least half of the landlords contacted by his office before starting the actual search process.
Soares tells us that if half of the landlords do not respond, his office will still go ahead with the searches.
“If we remove one gun through this initiative and people are on notice that they cannot use these vacant buildings, vacant lots to store either drugs or guns, to me, we’re successful with this initiative,”
The old, If we can save just one (fill in here), it will be worth it”, routine.
Can community theatre be far behind?
Is the owner at risk of having his property seized, if guns or drugs are found?
If I were the owner of one of these vacant properties, I wouldn’t consent to a search unless there were some double foolproof ironclad provisions for personal and corporate immunity - and even then I probably wouldn’t go along with it. Any excuse for the government to levy fines, seize property or even incarcerate a citizen would be used.
"Soares admits that this initiative could translate into more people carrying guns but he tells FOX23 News that he's confident that more armed criminals won't necessarily translate into more crime."
but one of the arguments against lawful concealed carry is the fear of blood running in the streets.
Perhaps Soares feels crimminals are more responsible gun owners?
“Hey Bro! Gimme the gun! It’s my turn!”
Presents an interesting defense if anyone is caight perpetrating a crime with such a weapon and it turns out to have been used in previous crimes.. “Beat’s me; I wasn’t using the gun last month.”
A quick google search shows that the first hit on this term - community guns - comes from Boston in 2006, another comes from Jacksonville in 2007 and links to the article above.
In each case they want to convince the reader (the public) that criminals across America, especially in the decaying inner-cities, are stashing these guns in designated places and are being made available to all who know how to get them; now, would somebody tell me why any sane thief would risk getting his ass blown away by an awakened homeowner in the middle of the night while the crook is looking for guns to rob when he could just walk down the street and clean out these abandoned stashes?
Semper Fi
An Old Man
Guns are expensive. I don’t doubt that some drug dealers are using abandoned buildings to stash their guns, but they aren’t being used by multiple individuals. Criminals are not known for their ability to share and play nice with others. There is no such thing as a “community” gun.
Is there actually proof of this?
I don’t object to police investigating vacant properties as long as it doesn’t cost taxpayers additional $$$$. But I think the premise for doing so is a stretch. I think it would be more sensible to lobby against providing easy access and shelter for delinquents to gather for elicit purposes, the forbearer of violent crime. The police should seek consent to ease the need for probable cause as a means to reduce red tape. Seeing flash lights in a known vacant house by itself may not be viewed by the courts as probable cause to investigate. But with owner permission in hand, an ordinary patrol might be able to bust a group of drug dealers/users and confiscate some guns.
Soares tells us that if half of the landlords do not respond, his office will still go ahead with the searches.
Exsqueeze me?
Uh how about that warrant thingy mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. You know, like those issued from a judge wherin YOU mr DA first need to show probable cause that a crime has been committed and there's evidence at a particular, specific location.
Oh, you're gonna do a blanket search of the properties (plural) anyway, okay gotcha. Ya freaking NAZI!
Sure would be interesting if one of your Brown Shirted JBTs got shot and killed by some crack head while doing these illegal searches now wouldn't it.
That “Art of the Cache” sounds passing familiar.....
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