Fort Myers police chief targets guns (Why Not Go After Criminals & Leave Citizens Alone?)

The News Press ^ | November 6, 2002 | SHARON TURCO, sturco@news-press.com

[Truth Telling Guy]

Fort Myers Police Chief Hilton Daniels is tired of the killings and plans to take guns off city streets as the first step in stopping them.

He pledged Tuesday to make prevention of gun violence the agency's top priority.

“The Fort Myers Police Department is very concerned about the number of homicides that have occurred in the city this year,” Daniels said. “Police have a very difficult time preventing homicides because these crimes happen in the heat of the moment. What we can do — and what the focus of our initiative is — is to make sure no one is carrying a weapon illegally.

[Truth Telling Guy]

Why shouldn't I be left alone and free to carry a gun in this crime ridden city that I live in?

Or any other citizen anywhere else?

[Truth Telling Guy]

Court says Chicago can try linking Crime, Gun Industry

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/783923/posts

[JRandomFreeper]

"Anything to stop the killing," she said.

Chaining everyone to the wall would stop the killing. Doesn't offer much in the way of civil liberties, but she's for it, since it stops the killing.

/john

[RogueIsland]

bang

[zingzang]

BARF!

[JRandomFreeper]

"By taking guns off our streets, we decrease the chance guns can be used in crimes."

No, it just means that fewer guns will be used by honest citizens to protect themselves. It also means that only criminals (who, ipso facto, don't obey laws) will have guns.

/john

[Truth Telling Guy]

See this one too

[Truth Telling Guy]

Ludicrous for ordinary
people to have guns: PM

November 6 2002

It was ludicrous that ordinary people in
Australia should have access to handguns,
Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Mr Howard said he supported the concept of
police, security industry workers and
sporting shooters having such weapons.

"But other than that you don't need a
handgun, and I think most people would
agree with that," he told Adelaide radio
station 5DN today.

"It's just ludicrous that people should have
access, and a lot of them do. The rules are
too lax."

Mr Howard said he did not want to see
Australia go down the American path where
guns were "worshipped".

"That has brought untold misery and harm
and also delivered to America a very high
murder rate for a stable, open western
society," he said.

Mr Howard also pointed to independent
research which indicated that the number of
gun-related murders in Australia had fallen
in the six years since the prohibition on long
arms in the wake of the Port Arthur
massacre.

"They are measured claims I make," he
said.

"I'm not pretending that we can abolish evil
and unhappiness by getting rid of guns.

"But I do think we can make a contribution
towards a safer Australia and I do think we
have a capacity to avoid going down the
American path."

Last month's double fatality shooting at
Monash University in Melbourne has
prompted the federal government to move
to restrict access to high-powered pistols,
proposing a buyback scheme and amnesty
for owners of illegal weapons.

AAP

[JRandomFreeper]

Ludicrous for ordinary people to have guns

The PM should send someone around to gather them up. Or if he's honest, he'll try it himself. He'll need to bring a lunch, because some folks won't cooperate.

/john

[Blood of Tyrants]

Why Not Go After Criminals & Leave Citizens Alone?

Are you NUTS? Those guys are CRIMINALS! They're dangerous! It is much easier to bully a senior citizen into handing over his guns after he has shot a gang banger robbing his home.

[JRandomFreeper]

For a new guy, you seem to have a handle on the gun issue. Welcome to FR.

/john

[Houmatt]

Ah! Another low-grade moron in law enforcement that is blaming crimes on inanimate objects.

[JRandomFreeper]

Are you NUTS? Those guys are CRIMINALS! They're dangerous! It is much easier to bully a senior citizen into handing over his guns after he has shot a gang banger robbing his home.

LOL! Exactly.

/john

[waterstraat]

This is Ft Myers FLORIDA, not California or Illinois.

The police in Florida are very supportive of citizens legally carrying guns, and any honest citizen can easily get a permit to carry a gun. The procedure is fast and easy to get a ccw, and all the cops I know in Florida are pro-gun and support shall issue ccw.

The Police chief said he was going after illegal guns, not legal guns.

[Cindy]

[El Gato]

The Police chief said he was going after illegal guns, not legal guns.

Not exactly, he said "What we can do — and what the focus of our initiative is — is to make sure no one is carrying a weapon illegally".

Since it's already illegal for criminals to carry guns, or even to have them, the only additional measures are to go after non-criminals carrying guns. Now that's probably illegal too, carrying guns without permission from the state,that is, but Florida's Constitution provides: "(a) The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law." Thus any changes must be in the "manner of bearing arms". A ban, without state permission, is not regulation, it's a ban. The similar provision of the US Constitution provides: "..the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". I guess this guy doesn't understand the meaning of "not" or "infringed".

[waterstraat]

The Police chief said he was going after illegal guns, not legal guns. Not exactly, he said "What we can do — and what the focus of our initiative is — is to make sure no one is carrying a weapon illegally". Since it's already illegal for criminals to carry guns, or even to have them, the only additional measures are to go after non-criminals carrying guns. Now that's probably illegal too, carrying guns without permission from the state,that is, but Florida's Constitution provides: "(a) The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law." Thus any changes must be in the "manner of bearing arms". A ban, without state permission, is not regulation, it's a ban. The similar provision of the US Constitution provides: "..the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". I guess this guy doesn't understand the meaning of "not" or "infringed".

That is NOT!!! what the police cheif said.

I have a Florida ccw, and the police chief is NOT after me, since I carry legally in Florida.

The police chief said he is going after criminals carrying guns, not we honest citizens with ccw's.

[demosthenes the elder]

1. Where the FReep is Fort Meyers? Are CCWs issued there?
2. I had no problem with a police campaign against "illegally carried" firearms... until I cam to this line: "Encouraging citizens to call police if they know anyone who is carrying a gun or if they spot suspicious activity in their neighborhood." Oh, great, so say someone is carrying a firearm legally (CCW) but someone who knows they are doing so doesn't like them/that fact and calls the gestapo to razz him. just wonderful.

[Mini-14]

Call the tip hotline to let the police know that the police chief was seen carrying a gun. Then call the tip hotline to let the police know that a patrol officer was seen carrying a gun.

[sarasmom]

Why do I need a government issued permit to own a gun?

Why do SOME LEOs in Florida need to know if I carry or own a standard projectile weapon? I have never been convicted, or even accused of, any crime.

At one time, long ago, I had a rather extensive arsenal.I "collected" guns.I also travelled outside of the USA, courtesy of government orders, and had these weapons listed on my official travel orders as "government approved personal property".I understood the need for this, when moving to a foreign country.It was still a bit of a hassle to explain to the foreign customs agent that I was "ordered" to bring my little collection of weapons to their country,legally, and had official "papers" to prove it.

Outside of my own country, I had no problem in complying with another country's weapons laws.

Inside the USA, it is my right(2nd ammendment) to Keep and Bear Arms.I do not need a permit for this right.It is not a privilege.It is a right.Many generations of my family fought for this right.I spent a few years in service myself to protect and defend this, and many other USA citizen rights.

What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand?

In truth, the paranoid Ft. Meyers LEO should be much more alarmed about my knowlege of the various applications of distilled rattlesnake venom.I am sure he/she probably has an ulcer...a casual scratch...LOL ;>)

[apillar]

“If parents are suspicious that their child has a gun, they need to follow up and go into their rooms and check,” Shoemaker said.

I KNOW my child has a gun, I bought it for him last Christmas, taught him how to use it too.

[FreedomPoster]

My child doesn't have his own (yet), but can darn sure hit with mine. Went to the range Saturday, and he's got "gun control" reasonably well figured out. The two of us danced a bowling pin right up the range.

[dcwusmc]

What exactly is an illegal gun and how do you tell the difference? Is there a registry somewhere? I sure hope not!

[demosthenes the elder]

good for you!

[donmeaker]

I am sure you noted the fatal word "and" in the Florida state constitution you quoted. You can carry in defense of self AND proper authority, but not for just yourself, or just for the state.



That would disarm most folks. I tell ya, ya gotta amend that darn thing, it should be "or", don't you agree?

It would also allow laws to disarm police officers while in their police stations, and while off duty and not under threat.

[demosthenes the elder]

good for you, too!
I think all gunners should actively indoctrinate the coming generations in the mysteries of the gun culture, the better to ensure the survival of the 2nd Amendment

[Bonaparte]

"...Police Chief Hilton Daniels..."

That's their whole mistake right there. They need to hire Chief Fletcher Daniels. He likes firearms.

[Truth Telling Guy]

You'd be surprised how many liberal males and even females quickly learn to love and respect firearms once you can get them to try going shooting or hunting with you. And they soon change their ideas about firearms rights once they do.

[Truth Telling Guy]

Chief Hilton Daniels is probably the kind of guy who'd love to kick in some doors to look for guns
as long as his men were going in first.
If you know what I mean.

[Truth Telling Guy]

I KNOW my child has a gun, I bought it for him last Christmas, taught him how to use it too.
apillar

My kind of guy!

A Daddy who really loves his kids!

[Truth Telling Guy]

"Anything to stop the killing," she said.

Chaining everyone to the wall would stop the killing. Doesn't offer much in the way of civil liberties, but she's for it, since it stops the killing.

/john

Just give them time...

[demosthenes the elder]

I *wouldn't* be surprised.
From my direct experience, approximately 19 out of every 20 ardent antigunners (who have never shot) turn into moderate to ardent pro-gunners after I take them to the range.

[c-b 1]

Please help me understand this, the only homicides anyone in the article seems concerned with are the ones committed with guns, why are the others irrelevant, are the those victims less dead?

If they have a murder problem wouldn't it make sense to get murderers off the street, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere.

Maybe I do understand, these people are descendants of Druids, who believe "Evil Spirits," reside in guns.

[Truth Telling Guy]

If they(the crooked politicians and gungrabbers) take the murderers off the streets then they can't commit the murders that can be used as an excuse to take more of your rights away---especially your gun rights.

[Truth Telling Guy]

A friend of mine took his anti-gun girlfriend to his fathers farm and let her shoot a shotgun, rifle and a pistol at some cups and jugs and stuff and she loved it.

She had argued with us tell she was blue in the face mad only weeks before about how important gun control is.

Now she wants him to get her a 38 or a 22 rifle.

[Truth Telling Guy]

Check out this stupid article and asks yourself what one of these punk kids will do if he comes home and a couple guys are raping his mom?
He's just gonna' peacefully talk it out with them?

Gun violence spurs students to act
By JILL PALERMO
DAILY NEWS STAFF
They say they don’t worry about guns at school — or anywhere else.



But in a town where plenty of people hunt and even more wear military uniforms, they know some kids have access to guns.



And that’s why the Jacksonville High School Student Council got involved in a nationwide pledge against gun violence.



“We all know there’s a possibility someone could have a gun,” said Jessica Bucklew, a 17-year-old senior.



“But it’s remote,” added William Gerichten, also a senior.



“I think it’s not even a threat,” said Ben McGlaughon, 17.



“But if you know there’s something being done about it, it makes you feel better.”



JHS is one of several Onslow County middle and high schools collecting signatures for “The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence.”



By signing the one-page pledge, students make this promise: “I will never bring a gun to school. I will never use a gun to settle a dispute. I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using guns to settle disputes.”



Nearly 3,000 Onslow students have signed the pledge, and the number is rising, said Anna Morgan, a Navy mom spearheading the local effort. She hopes to collect at least 5,000 signatures to contribute to the nationwide goal of 6 million.



Mary Lewis Grow, a Minnesota mother and anti-violence activist, developed the pledge five years ago. Morgan said she became interested when she read an article about Grow and the pledge in a national magazine.



Morgan says she’s not the typical anti-gun type. She and her husband, a Navy corpsman, own guns but keep them locked up and away from their two small children.



The pledge, Morgan said, is not against guns. It’s about empowering kids to take control of a problem affecting their generation.



“I just like the idea of somebody having enough faith in the kids of today to let them have the power to control something in their own lives,” she said.



Are guns a problem in Onslow County Schools?



Assistant Principal Darin Cloninger said JHS has had no gun-related incidents this year.



But having a gun turn up at a local school is not unheard of. According to the 2000-01 Annual Report on School Violence, the most recent available, Onslow County Schools reported two incidents involving possession of a firearm on campus.



After Morgan contacted JHS about the pledge, Cloninger offered the idea to the student council, who ran with it.



“In high schools, you hear all the horror stories,” he said. “But we really have a lot of concerned and conscientious students Â… who want to do the right thing.”



According to statistics compiled by Grow’s organization, 30,000 people die nationwide as a result of gun violence a year, and about 4,000 of them are under the age of 19.



Since 1998, organizers have declared a “Day of National Concern about Young People and Violence” to draw attention to the pledge.



This year, that day was Oct. 24 — the same day Maryland police arrested the D.C. snipers.



“The fact that one of the snipers ended up being a 17-year-old should make kids think about it a little more,” McGlaughon said. “It’s not older white men who are doing this kind of serial killing. It’s kids, too.”



Contact Jill Palermo at jpalermo @jdnews.com or at 353-1171,ext. 228.

[Travis McGee]

Why didn't we think of that? All we need to do is get folks to sign a pledge not to use guns to settle their disagreements, or to bring them to school!

If only Harris and Klebold had signed such a pledge, I am sure Columbine would not have happened. That pledge would have stopped them cold, they would never have gone on a murder rampage if it meant viloating their pledge.

(The naivete of liberals never ceases to amaze.)

[Squantos]

Paper Laws don't stop criminals with or without guns......Armed "by choice" citizens are the single solution IMO.........as for every criminal with a firearm there should be 100 armed law abidding citizens within range of them when they decide to committ an atrocity against a peaceful populace.

Stay Safe TM !!

[Truth Telling Guy]

Actually those idiots were involved in a government program concerning violence and their criminal behavior. (It was called a diversion program.)

The program worked quite well, huh?

And the psychotropics and psychobabble worked well too huh? (They both saw a psychiatrist.)

[Travis McGee]

When was the last time there was a stickup at a gun show? Hmmm...

[Travis McGee]

Quite well indeed.

[Truth Telling Guy]

Got lots of gun control passed.

[demosthenes the elder]

well, let me see, now...
I have taught over 300 adults how to shoot pistols or rifles or both.
I have taught over 50 children how to shoot pistols or rifles or both.
I have subbed for the local game wardens in teaching hunting safety classes (which is a great deal - it lands me a lot of venison confiscated from poachers).
So far as I know, NONE of my students has EVER had an accidental discharge of any sort, far less an injurious or fatal one.
ALL of the kids I have taught (and I take 'em as young as 8 years old, if I think they are mature enough) know damn well what to do if they find a firearm lying about. If it is in a position where no one is likely to stumble across it, they are to leave it in place and get their parents or closest responsible relation - failing that, they are to get the police. If there is a chance that someone else might stumble upon the weapon, they know how to safely remove it to a secure location and do the alert-the-adults drill.
ALL OF MY STUDENTS BELOW THE AGE OF 18 GET THE WATERMELON LESSON.
Go ahead, ask... I dare ye ;)

[Woahhs]

Why shouldn't I be left alone and free to carry a gun in this crime ridden city that I live in? Or any other citizen anywhere else?

Um...sorry, that's not quite what he's saying. He said illegal guns, and as this is a city in Florida, it is not synonymous with concealed or carried guns.

It looks like they have a gang-banger problem or residents who won't call the law unless they need an ambulance too. I think the fact that 16 year olds are getting involved in arguements that result in shootings is instructive. There's nothing sinister here.

[Woahhs]

Okay. You people are officially "scaring me." You've built a local police chief up into a pocket nazi, and taken a "puff piece'' from a local newspaper and made it into a civilian brainwashing campaign.

THIS IS FLORIDA!

Unless you live here, you just don't get it. Florida and guns is like Texas and cactus.

[Truth Telling Guy]

So you don't feel you have a right to carry a weapon to defend yourself without the government's permission?

[Truth Telling Guy]

I would guess never ---- never a successful one atleast!!! LOL

[Rebelbase]

""When was the last time there was a stickup at a gun show? Hmmm"

As a group in general, the most polite people i've ever met have been those at gunshows.